Brussels, 05/11/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 4 November, the Council decided, without debate, not to oppose the adoption by the European Commission of a strategic framework for the implementation of the European satellite navigation systems, EGNOS and Galileo. The document, which was sent to the Council on 1 October, sets out the estimated budget and related timetable needed to define, develop, validate, construct and operate the two systems. It also sets out the activities that the Commission must conduct as programme manager, to deploy and operate the European infrastructure of the world satellite navigation programme (GNSS) over the period 2008-2013. In concrete terms, the document confirms that Galileo will be deployed in 2013 and states that, for this to happen, the preparatory stages for its commercial operation will have to begin in 2010. For this, the in-orbit validation process of the first four of the system's satellites (and the associated ground segment) will have to be completed by the end of 2010, with, at the same time, contracts awarded for the whole of the constellation (the remaining 26 satellites and their launchers) and the associated ground segment. Before that date, two Galileo satellite control centres will have to be in place, one in Fucino (Italy) and the other in Oberpfaffenhofen (Germany), as will the Safety of Life Centre in Madrid (Spain). The document states, too, that the objective is for EGNOS, the positioning system that precedes Galileo, to be operational by March 2009. The services it supplies will be certified for civil aviation as soon as possible, meaning that, during flights, the US GPS system could be replaced if necessary. The document also announces: - the publication, in 2008, of an action plan on satellite navigation, to help European industry make use of the new systems' applications; - development of a tailor-made risk management plan; - the development, in 2009, of a European radio-navigation plan, optimising the various radio-navigation services and infrastructure in Europe; - the preparation, by 2009 at the latest, of a liability policy for the various EGNOS and Galileo services. The estimated cost given in the document for setting up Galileo is €3.4 billion (as initially provided for), plus €80 million from the 7th Framework Programme for Research for 2010-2013. The document still has to be approved by the European Parliament. (A.By./transl.rt)