GALILEO Council conclusions (Extract from: Provisional Version, Transport Council, 11 June)

Brussels, 11 Jun 2004

The Council adopted Conclusions as set out below:

"Having regard to the previous Resolutions and Conclusions of the Council on the GALILEO and EGNOS programmes constituting the European Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Considering that the Council will, after having been informed by the Commission on the status of the Development and In-Orbit Validation phase and on the results of the tendering procedure, and after careful examination of the fulfilment of the prerequisites formulated in previous Council conclusions (such as the required private sector investment), take the necessary decisions on the deployment and operational phases, including on the maximum available Community funds for these phases,

THE COUNCIL:
With regard to the Regulation on management structures

- STATES that the adoption of the Regulation on the establishment of structures for the management of the European satellite radionavigation programmes does not prejudice the outcome of the decisions to be taken on the deployment and operational phases, including its financial aspects.

It CALLS
upon the Commission to start the procedures to set up in due time the European GNSS Supervisory Authority, in accordance with the Regulation;

- STATES that, when decisions or action relating to substantive security policy issues must be taken by the Council in accordance with the Regulation on the establishment of structures for the management of the European satellite radionavigation programmes, or on the security aspects of international agreements relating to the European GNSS system, the Council Security Committee, meeting in a GNSS security experts formation, will, as appropriate, issue technical recommendations in accordance with the Council's security regulations or, if the matter is entirely security-related, substantively prepare COREPER's work;

- RECALLS that the Council is the competent institution to authorise the Commission to enter into negotiations with third countries and to subsequently sign and conclude international agreements with third countries, on the subject of the European GNSS system;

- UNDERLINES that the procedure set out in the Council Joint Action agreed today would be applicable notably in cases where a Member State considers that its national security is under threat;

With regard to the EU-Israel agreement

- WELCOMES the initialling of the Co-operation Agreement on a civil GNSS between the European Community and its Member States and the State of Israel, AGREES its content and INVITES the Parties to finalise the legal and linguistic editing of the text in the weeks to come with a view to an early signature;

With regard to the EU-US agreement

- WELCOMES the initialling of the Agreement between the European Community and the United States of America on the promotion, provision and use of GALILEO and GPS satellite- based navigation systems and related applications, NOTES with satisfaction the agreement reached recently on the issue of national security compatibility compliance requirements, together with a commitment from the United States, in the spirit of partnership upon which both sides have embarked, to find alternative PRS signal modulations if needed, and IS CONFIDENT that the Agreement which provides substantive benefits for both parties, can be signed in the near future, possibly at the EU-US summit on 26 June provided that the radio frequency compatibility document is finalised;

With regard to the GJU-NRSCC agreement

- WELCOMES the initialling of the Agreement on the Co-operation in the GALILEO Program between the GALILEO Joint Undertaking and the National Remote Sensing Centre of China (NRSCC), NOTES the positive opinion of the GALILEO Joint Undertaking's Supervisory Board on said agreement and invites the Administrative Board to finalise it without delay."

http://ue.eu.int/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pr essData/en/trans/80931.pdf