Brussels, 23/04/2008 (Agence Europe) - After many long years of discussion, Galileo is about to take off. On Wednesday 23 April, the plenary session of the European Parliament voted by 607 votes to 36, with 8 abstentions to adopt the report by Etelka Barsi-Pataky (EPP-ED, Hungary) approving the regulation on the implementation and pursuit of the European EGNOS and Galileo satellite radio navigation programmes. On only one reading, the vote confirms the compromise reached previously between the Council and the Parliament and means the European equivalent of the US GPS and the Russian Glonass systems can now really begin. The system will operational by 2013.
The Parliamentary vote, announced by Jacques Barrot at the last Transport Council, opens the way for the launch of the programme, the success of which was compromised after the break-up of the private consortium which was providing the funding (see EUROPE 9428). The compromise reached at the start of April between the Council (which wanted to retain the programmes' Supervisory Authority) and the Parliament, which wanted to be more involved in the programme (see EUROPE 9637), settled the issues of funding (€3.4 billion from the Community budget), the acquisition structure (six segments with at least 40% sub-contracted to companies that do not belong to the main contractors) and governance. Construction of the first 26 satellites will begin at the start of next year, Barrot said.
Speaking on the eve of the vote, Barrot announced that the Commission, which is responsible for the programmes, will sign a convention with the European Space Agency beginning the satellite acquisition procedure. “We hope that this (Ed: the signing of the convention) will take place before summer and that calls for tender will be launched for the six segments that have been decided,” Barrot said. He went on, “We would like to be able to sign the contracts at the end of the year, so that construction of the satellites and all related equipment can begin as quickly as possible at the start of next year”. “The construction of the remaining 26 satellites will take between two and three years. It will then be a further year or two before launch,” said Barrot. Speaking to MEPs, Barrot undertook to “come back and speak to you about all these (Galileo) applications that are of interest not only to transport but especially for protecting people”. “From all points of view, Galileo will be far more effective than the current GPS,” he claimed, stressing that small and medium-sized enterprises in all member states should be brought on board “so that all the work is started immediately in preparing Galileo applications”. (A.By.)