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

PURPOSE : to set up a European Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Supervisory Authority.

LEGISLATIVE ACT : Council Regulation 1321/2004/EC on the establishment of structures for the management of the European satellite radio-navigation programmes.

CONTENT : This Regulation sets up the European GNSS Supervisory Authority (the Authority), to manage the public interests relating to, and to be the regulatory authority for the European GNSS programmes. The tasks of the Authority include the following:

- the Authority will conclude a concession contract with whichever consortium is selected on completion of the development phase of Galileo and take steps to ensure compliance by that consortium with the obligations - in particular the public service obligations - arising from the concession contract. It should be noted that the Council underlined that substantial private sector participation is a fundamental element for the success of Galileo in its deployment and operational phases;

- the Authority will be the concession holder's sole interlocutor on the matter of frequencies;

- the Authority will be responsible for managing and controlling the use of the funds specifically allocated to it for the programmes;

- the Authority will assist the Commission in matters involving satellite radio-navigation, particularly in cases where legislative and regulatory measures prove necessary;

- the Authority will utilise ongoing research, development and technological assessment activities, in particular those carried out by ESA;

In addition, the following points should be noted:

- following its dissolution, the Galileo Joint Undertaking will transfer all property it has acquired to the Authority. All property developed by the concession holder during the deployment phase will be vested in the Authority unless otherwise agreed in advance, as the programme definition, development and validation phases have been financed almost entirely from public funds and all components thus developed will be put at the disposal of the concession holder;

- the Member States and the Commission are represented on an Administrative Board entrusted with the necessary powers to establish the budget, verify its execution, adopt the appropriate financial rules, establish transparent working procedure for decision making by the Authority, approve its work programme and appoint the Executive Director;

- in order to guarantee the full autonomy and independence of the Authority, the latter will have an autonomous budget whose revenue comes essentially from a contribution from the Community.

ENTRY INTO FORCE : 30/07/2004.