Slovenia Calls for Equality in Managing EU Sat-Nav System
Transport Ministry State Secretary Peter Verlic stressed on Friday the need for equality in managing the Galileo satellite navigation system as he attended a meeting of the EU Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council in Luxembourg aimed at discussing the future of the project.
Slovenia wants an "equal and all-round participation of member states in the process of building and utilisation of Galileo," Verlic told the press.
Managing the projects is, next to the question of financing, the key issue the bloc will have to tackle in the autumn if it wants keep the project the cost of which is estimated at between EUR 3.4bn and EUR 3.6bn.
A bigger level of equality could best be reached if the European Commission managed the project, as ESA incorporates only 15 member states, and Slovenia is not one of them, Verlic said.
However, Slovenia signed a memorandum of understanding with ESA in April. The memorandum is expected to make Slovenia an ESA participating country in a matter of years and improve its chances of being selected to host the seat of the Galileo supervisory authority.
Although the location of the seat is currently not on the agenda due to the problems of funding, "Slovenian candidacy is still alive", Verlic said.
Verlic also said some services Galileo will offer would be "of distinct importance for the public interest".
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