EU Commission vice-President Tajani to EuroFora: GALILEO is Competitive but mustn't be Delayed !

EU's landmark Satellite Navigation System GALILEO, a High-Tech project to provide much needeed Space infrastructure for a large spectrum of Social, Economic, Civic Protection and/or Defense activities, can become Efficient and Competitive in a few years throughout the whole World, if it's completion iis not Delayed by bureaucratic obstacles to fund some 1,9 Biliions € needed in order to reach the necesary Threshhold of 30 Satellites at the latest on 2018, as scheduled, replied in substance the competent EU Commission's vice-President, Antonio Tajani, replying to "EuroFora"s questions  this week at EU Parliament in Strasbourg, (both during his Press Conference and afterwards).

 

      - "As far as I am concerned, ....until 2014 there won't be any problems : We have the Money. The problem is for the after 2014 period", Tajani started to explain in reply to "EuroFora"s question.

    - "We (EU) must respect the Timing. I'm very much committed to try to do that, because it's important to respect the Timing in view of 2018 (scheduled full deployment of GALILEO), when it will have 30 Satellites", EU Commission's vice President stressed.

    - "Nevertheless, already with just 14 Satellites, GALILEO will be at least able to start providing some kind of services since 2014", he noted.

    - "But in order to complete the project, we (EU) must have about 1,9 Billions more, according to an evalation which will be soon made by ESA and EU Commission's experts, after which I'll be able to make a more precise appreciation", he warned.

    - "So, on Galileo, I decided to start now (1/2011) an initial reflexion on the Investments which will be needed in order to continue and complete the full organization of the Galileo project.

     - I.e., "until 2004 we have the necessary money, but we must, at the same time, respect also the (2018) Deadline", Tajani stressed in conclusion to his reply to "EuroFora"s question.
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    Obviously, a one-off 1,9 or even 2 Billions € for EU's High-Tech Satellite Navigation System GALILEO, an indispensable infrastructure for many important Economic, Civic Protection and/or Defense activities in all EU's 27 Member Countries and much more throughout the World, is comparatively "nothing", of simply peanuts, compared f.ex. with almost repeated spending of 1 Billion € each Year for Turkey's controversia and impopular EU bid, and/or to ... more than 30 (Thirty !) Billions € blocked and wasted in the controversial, Low-Tech, 20 Years Old project A400M, a locally limited, banal Military "Bus" deprived of any Innovation, unable to lift not even 1 Modern Tank (fex. Leclerc III), unable to fly far enough, but limited ony to a smalll regional area; which, therefore, abandons Global, TransContinental Air Military Transport exclusively to the USA's big Boeing "GobeMaster", condemning Europe to be restricted in a petty role of local "plumber"..

    EU Lisbon Treaty, which entered into force since December 2009, explicitly gives to the EU New Legal Competences in order to develop an ambitious Space High-Tech Policy, and it would be a blatant Contradition if , nevertheless, EU didn't go faster now on GALILEO than it had initially decided to do already as early as since an Historic 2003 decision...
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    - "When I recently visited China, before Christmas, from my meeting with Chinese Ministers, it was clear that there was a Desire to reach an Agreement. So, I hope that we shall be able to go forward in the Future", Tajani earlier noted, optimistically, after "EuroFora" had already warned him about the above mentioned 2006-2009 developments regarding Beijing's interest for EU's Galieo (See supra). - "As for Russia, there are no impediments, and relations are Healthy enough", he added, replying to another collegue's question.

    - "Concerning the USA, they have their GPS, and we (EU) have GALILEO, We (EU) want to have an Independent System, including on frequences", EU Commission's vice-President clearly said also in the same Press Conference, reminding EU's crystal-clear choice for an Autonomous strategic development of European capacities, (comp. f.ex. EU Parliament's March 2010 vote on the President of EU Parliament's Security and Defence Committee, French MEP Arnould Danjean's landmark Report on EU's relevant policies, and his related statements to "EuroFora")