Way beyond the EU daily business

Environmental monitoring, navigation systems, weather forecasting, toll collection, early flood warnings... — the role that space plays in our daily lives is increasing.

Last week the European Parliament won a victory against the intention of the EU member states on the Galileo project. Failing a satisfactory agreement on the Galileo programme, this project, which is politically, economically and symbolically crucial for the EU, might have collapsed.

What is Galileo and why is it so important for Europe?

The Galileo satellite navigation system is the European civil alternative to the US Global Positioning System (GPS) and the Russian GLONASS, both funded and controlled by military authorities. It will cover the whole planet, including areas at a geographical disadvantage and the outermost regions of the European Union.

Galileo is based on a constellation of 30 satellites and ground stations. It will provide information concerning the positioning of users in many sectors such as transport, social services, customs services, public works, rescue systems, or leisure. In the transport field, it will considerably improve air and sea traffic control, the mobilization of emergency services and the tracking of goods carried by multimodal transport.

For the present, Galileo will not be used for military purposes but it could have ramifications for Europe’s security and defense institutions, enabling users to locate individual land mines or direct missiles.

Galileo was Parliament’s absolute priority in the negotiations with the member states of the EU, as it is of huge political and technological importance for Europe. Europe and will not be dependent on American, Russian or Chinese systems in the future, as it will have a system of its own.

European independence is the chief reason for taking this major step. Today Satellite navigation users in Europe today have no alternative other than to take their positions from US GPS or Russian GLONASS satellites. Yet the military operators of both systems give no guarantee to maintain an uninterrupted service. If the signals were switched off tomorrow, many ships’ crews would be hard pressed to revert to traditional navigation methods using almanacs and sextants.

Another positive development rising from the Galileo project is that its spin-offs are expected to create a huge market for equipment and services for the private sector and it will be a boost for growth and employment in the EU.

Galileo may seem to be only the EU daily business, but its implications go far beyond the Union’s borders. Ukraine, for example, being a close political and strategic partner and the closest neighbor of the European Union will gain more independence for its economy not depending on the Russian system only any longer but having a choice with who to co-operate using satellite navigation systems.