European Parliament
Ó Neachtain (UEN ).
Mr President, I congratulate the rapporteur, Mr Piétrasanta, for his thorough work on the Galileo positioning system. Galileo has proved to be a tremendous success and I hold the view that it is vital for Europe to continue to invest in this key technology into the future.
It is worth noting that, unlike competing global positioning systems – notably American ones – our Galileo project has been used exclusively for civilian purposes. I believe this must continue. I am not keen on seeing Galileo turned to military applications.
Galileo can play a key role in helping the European Union achieve the competitiveness goals set in Lisbon, goals which form a key plank of the Irish presidency's programme. The future participation of China in Galileo through substantial financial investment in the programme is most welcome. I am convinced that we must go further in seeking international partners who will be pleased to find alternative options to the previous monopolies.
In conclusion, I would like to acknowledge the fact that the supervisory board called for by Parliament, has indeed been set up. This is an important contribution to transparency and accountability.

