EU Transport Council in Luxembourg

Berlin, Germany – The EU Transport Council, chaired by the German Council President, Wolfgang Tiefensee, 2007-06-08 took a unanimous decision on the way forward for Galileo, following the proposals by the Presidency.

"In doing so, we are giving Galileo a new direction on its way to implementation. With Galileo as a pillar of European space policy, we are underscoring Europe’s efforts in the fiel ds of space travel, advanced technology and innovation and ensuring European independence in this cutting-edge field", said Mr Tiefensee in Luxembourg.

He said that Ministers agreed that persevering with the current PPP organization would mean greater financial burdens for the public sector and further delays. For this reason, the Council has invited the European Commission to submit concrete funding proposals and proposals for a new procurement strategy before the final decision – scheduled for autumn 2007 – on the continuation of the project is taken.

"The Council and the Commission now have a reference framework for the future course of action in the implementation of Galileo, on which a decision is to be taken this autumn. I am optimistic that we will then create a good basis for avoiding further delays and keeping the financial burden on the public sector within limits", said Mr Tiefensee.

"Regarding Galileo, the German Council Presidency has attached great importance to transparency right from the outset. That is why we have openly addressed the problems in the negotiations with the industry on the Galileo concession, in order to get the project moving again as quickly as possible. The concession model that has been pursued so far has not proved viable. As far as financing is concerned, we now have to take a decision in the autumn on concrete alternatives that cover all the public sector funding options, including funding by the European Space Agency (ESA)", said Mr Tiefensee.

Internal Links of the Federal Ministry
Further information on the European satellite project Galileo

Additional background information (provided by Infrasite’s Editorial Staff)
Read more about the project TEN-T Priority Axis 15: Galileo on Infrasite.net