Voortbestaan satellietproject Galileo verzekerd (en)

The EU's prestigious satellite project, Galileo, has been saved from a crash after EU transport ministers on Monday (5 December) agreed to grant Germany, the biggest funder of the scheme, more orders for its industry.

The breakthrough follows a months-long deadlock between Germany and other main participants France and Italy over the funding of the satellite system, which is seen as a strategic competitor to the American Global Positioning System (GPS) system.

Without yesterday's agreement, the project would have "broken into pieces", a Brussels source told German media.

EU ministers decided on Monday to grant German industry consortium Teleop a strategic place on the board of the joint venture operating Galileo, as a guarantee for future orders.

Berlin, which pumps more cash than any other EU state into the scheme, had in October blocked a sum needed for the launch of Galileo, claiming its industry was being disadvantaged by the French and the Italians.

German transport minister Wolfgang Tiefensee said after yesterday's deal "Galileo can now be sent on its way".

In the deal, the German government also scooped the main control centre of the system, which will be located near Munich.

The Galileo project involves a satellite navigation system meant to boost navigation of ships, cars and planes.

It was initiated by the European Commission in co-operation with the European Space Agency (ESA).

From 2008, ESA plans to station 30 satellites in space, at an estimated cost of €3.6 billion.

The Commission in a 2001 white paper said that "Europe cannot afford to be totally dependent on third countries" in "such a strategic area" as satellite navigation.

"Only the USA (GPS) and Russia (GLONASS) currently have this technology, both systems being financed for military purposes, with the result that the signals can be blocked or jammed at any moment to protect these countries' own interests", the commission wrote.