GALILEO, satellite radionavigation programme: management, GNSS Supervisory Authority and Center for security and safety

PURPOSE : to propose the establishment of structures for the management of the European satellite radionavigation programme. CONTENT : the Commission proposes the future management structures for GALILEO programme in its deployment phase (2006-2008) and operational phase (from 2008). Two structures, each with essential public-interest missions, are proposed: - a Supervisory Authority and - a Centre for Safety and Reliability. More specifically, the Supervisory Authority proposed by the Commission will be a Community body having legal personality and placed under the Commission's authority. Its function will be to manage the public interests relating to GALILEO, and it will have the following main tasks: - acting as a licensing authority vis-α-vis the private concessionaire to be appointed before the end of 2004 and ensuring that the concessionaire complies with the concession contract and the specifications attached to it, notably in terms of public service obligations as regards continuity and guarantee of service; - managing Community funds allocated to GALILEO; - acting as a technological observatory to anticipate further developments of the system. In addition, the Supervisory Authority will also act as custodian of all the frequencies necessary to ensure the operation of the European satellite radionavigation system. In order to ensure its safety and reliability against attack (malicious or otherwise) and to prevent its use for terrorist or other purposes running counter to the interests of the European Union and its Member States, the Commission proposes to create, under the auspices of the Secretary-General of the Council, a Centre for Safety and Reliability made up of a small permanent team that will be operational at all times. The centre will provide expertise in negotiations related to the safety and reliability of the system and will participate in preparing and ensuring compliance with the future operational and regulatory framework for safety and reliability. It will also have to be capable of taking with the operator, in real time, such signal scrambling or interruption measures (selective or otherwise) as may be required in an emergency. The centre should also help to speed up the conclusion of a cooperation agreement with the United States on interoperability between GPS and GALILEO and on the development of arrangements for cooperation in the event of a crisis. FINANCIAL STATEMENT : - Chapter 06 03 Trans-European Networks. The choice of article and items, under Chapter 06 03, will be determined under the budget procedure for 2006; - allocation for the action : EUR 3.55 million/year in commitment appropriations. This annual allocation is included in the appropriations entered under Article 06 03 01 for the year 2006 (financial allocation for the period 2000-2006 laid down by regulation) and will possibly be included in the future in the financial allocation to be fixed for subsequent years.�