EU backs €3.4 billion funding for Galileo
In a vote on 20 June 2007, the EU Parliament has backed funding of the European satellite navigation programme, Galileo, in full from the EU budget.
The EU Parliament wants to reopen the EU's long-term budget perspectives to fund Galileo, whereas a majority of member states prefer taking the missing €2.4 billion from other EU programmes.
According to estimates, some €3.4 billion will be needed to put Galileo's 30 satellites into orbit, whereas currently only €1 billion is foreseen for the operational expenditure in the EU's long term budget 2007-2013
Drafted by the Parliament Budget Committee and adopted in plenary on 20 June 2007, the resolution on the financing of Galileo states that Parliament "will oppose any solution that would combine Community funding with additional intergovernmental funding". According to a Parliament spokesman, MEPs wish to avoid a situation in which some member states would contribute more and Galileo would become vulnerable to the principle of "juste retour" (a proportionate return on investment).
In order for Galileo to be funded entirely from Community funds, the Parliament is calling on the Commission to "take the initiative of proposing a revision of the financial framework", agreed upon after difficult negotiations in 2006. The Resolution also urges the Commission to "present a revised proposal for a regulation on the financing of the Galileo programme, which must be agreed upon by Parliament and the Council in codecision".
