European Govts. to Decide Galileo’s Fate in Oct.
EU govts. will delay a decision on beleaguered global positioning satellite system Galileo until Oct., a Council of Ministers spokeswoman said Wed. The Transport Council was to decide this week on a way forward on the project but now will ask the EC for more information on various funding proposals it laid out last month (CD May 17 p6), she said. The EC contested reports that Galileo will cost far more than planned.
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The EC proposed that funds to build and launch the system’s 30 satellites come from taxpayers, with industry running and maintaining the system. Transport Comr. Jacques Barrot sought 2.4 billion in public funds -- 1 billion already is allocated -- to finish construction. In response to a Financial Times Deutschland report that the project would cost 9-12 billion to build and operate, Barrot’s spokesman said costs would shift if the project’s horizon moved. But construction still is pegged at 3.4 billion, he said.
The European Parliament (EP) seems to favor public financing, a spokesman for the Security & Defense Subcommittee said after a Tues. debate on the program’s future. Lawmakers don’t question Galileo’s strategic importance, Hungarian Christian Democrat MEP Etelka Barsy- Pataki was quoted as saying: “What we do question is whether the right type of financing has been chosen to undertake it.” The fortune needed to resuscitate Galileo raises concerns that funding it could drain money from other programs, the spokesman said.
The rationale behind the system remains valid, said German Socialist Norbert Glante, who authored the official parliamentary report on Galileo. But downstream industries gearing up to use Galileo technology to offer services to consumers anxiously awaited the Council’s June 8 decision, now pushed back to Oct., the spokesman said.
Eurobarometer said 80% of Europeans back an independent satellite navigation system despite its price tag, with 63% willing to spend public funds to complete the project, more in newer member countries, Eurobarometer reported Tues.
Galileo has the endorsement even from those unfamiliar with it, the survey found. In concept, satellite navigation is clear to 68% of Europeans, but 60% of respondents said they weren’t aware of Galileo itself. People said they would prefer such systems to see practical use such as helping search and rescue teams over “leisure-based” activities such as pinpointing hotels or restaurants, Eurobarometer found.
The “jury is still out” on whether Europe will lose face if it kills Galileo, the report said. The Transport Council resolution will be adopted Fri. morning, its spokeswoman said.