UK sets out its position on Galileo

Such a restriction, as now proposed by the European Commission would, says the Paper¹, be to the detriment of Europe’s prosperity and security. It goes on to argue that the UK’s continued close collaboration in the project following the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union would:

* Improve the global competitiveness of the European space sector

* Support joint capability development and improve interoperability among armed forces of the UK and EU Member States, including the development of receivers that will incorporate Galileo’s encrypted Public Regulated Service (PRS). The Technical Paper emphasises that future UK participation in Galileo is a strategic choice that will have a permanent effect on future defence and defence industrial collaboration;

* Ensure the most effective delivery of the programme. The Technical Paper states that UK entities have played an integral part in designing, developing and managing Galileo to date, particularly the delivery of payloads for satellites, the ground control segment and the development of the PRS software. It further states that excluding participation by UK industry in security-related areas risks delays and additional costs as it will not be straightforward to effectively place this work elsewhere.

* Ensure Galileo will provide secure global coverage. The Technical Paper says that UK contributes to this coverage by hosting two sensor stations at secure locations in the South Atlantic.

The discussion paper makes clear that the UK wants Galileo to be a core component of a future UK-EU security partnership and that negotiations to this end should not be pre-empted or prejudiced. As such, it reiterates the UK’s strong objection to its ongoing exclusion from security-related discussions and exchanges and industrial participation in developing Galileo and the PRS.

In response, a senior EU official said that the UK’s position was “quite a big ask,” insisting that there was “no basis” for the UK’s request to be reimbursed the €1.2 billion already invested in the project and warning that the bloc will not negotiate “under threat.” According to respected political website POLITICO, the source said,: “I have the impression the UK thinks everything has to change on the EU side, so that everything remains the same on the UK side,” adding that London’s demands violated the “legal requirements” agreed by member countries when Galileo was set up.²

¹ https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/710790/FINAL_GALILEO.pdf

² https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-to-uk-we-wont-reimburse-galileo-satellite-funding-brexit/