§ Lord Rotherwickasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether Galileo is to be compatible with the United States global positioning system; and, if so, what action is being taken to ensure that this is so. [HL3944]
§ Lord Falconer of ThorotonThe Transport Council of the European Union at its meeting on 26 March reiterated the need for Galileo to be interoperable with the global positioning system (GPS). The Council intends that this should be achieved through a co-operation agreement between the European Union and the United States. The UK is participating in the negotiations on the agreement and will continue to press within the EU for this outcome. Additionally, the UK will contribute to the technical work of the Galileo development and validation phase with the objective of ensuring that the systems are interoperable.
§ Lord Rotherwickasked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they are taking with regard to the United States' concerns about the security implications of Galileo. [HL3945]
§ Lord Falconer of ThorotonIn discussions within the European Union for the Transport Council on 26 March, we ensured that the US concerns, which the UK shared, were taken into account. It is our intention to continue to work within the EU and in the negotiations with the US to ensure that the security implications of Galileo are considered in full and that a solution acceptable to the UK, the EU and the US is concluded.