Brussels, 07/12/2005 (Agence Europe) - On 28 December, the satellite GIOVE-A will be the first satellite of the European satellite radio-navigation programme Galileo to be sent into orbit from the Baïkonour cosmodrome, the Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot told the ministers for transport and the EU on 5 December. Mr Barrot also took the opportunity to praise the " skills as a negotiator and intermediary" of Karel Van Miert, who managed to obtain an agreement between the eight industrial partners who have put themselves forward to hold the Galileo concession, over the geographical distribution of the site and on the governance of the future concession-holder (EUROPE 9082). Nonetheless, Mr Van Miert's mission stops there, as it "includes neither the public aspects of Galileo, nor negotiations with the joint company which is now going to take over", Mr Barrot explained, stressing that "nothing in the agreement reached today will prejudice the future concession contract". Mr Barrot felt that it would be better to leave it up to the company in question, the Joint Undertaking Galileo, to play a role as sole interlocutor for those tendering to negotiate the concession contract, even though the monitoring authority tasked with signing the contract will have to be closely involved in the negotiations.