UK Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday that her country would create its own satellite navigation system if the European Union did not change its decision to restrict the United Kingdom's access to the EU satellite navigation system Galileo following its exit from the bloc.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th August, 2018) UK Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday that her country would create its own satellite navigation system if the European Union did not change its decision to restrict the United Kingdom's access to the EU satellite navigation system Galileo following its exit from the bloc.
"Unless we receive assurance that we can collaborate on a close basis in the future - like the close security partners we aspire to be - we are clear that we will withdraw UK support for Galileo and pursue our own sovereign satellite system," May said, as quoted by The Guardian newspaper.
Her remark came against the backdrop of a continuing row with the European Union over Galileo. In May, Brussels has started to gradually exclude UK companies from involvement into the security-related areas of the project. According to the European Union, the United Kingdom cannot remain a full Galileo partner after Brexit, namely, have access to the encrypted information.
May claimed that the United Kingdom did not wish to "be an 'end user', shut out from security discussions and contracts, and without critical information about the systems security."
She went on to say that the United Kingdom would conduct an 18-months-long study prior to an alternative navigation system development, if Brussels did not change its decision.
"This will ensure the UK's safety post-Brexit, using the expertise of our world-leading space and security sectors to do so ... Today's investment marks an exciting time for the sector, and for the UK, and I can't wait to see what we can achieve," May said.
UK Chancellor Philip Hammond said that 92 million Pounds ($119 million) have been allocated for designing the system, with the money coming from the United Kingdom's 3 billion-pound fund for Brexit contingencies.
"Today, we are committing �92m from our Brexit readiness fund to design a national alternative to the EU's Galileo satellite system. We have a world-leading space sector and will do what it takes to support the jobs and expertise the UK needs," he posted on Twitter.
The United Kingdom has earlier emphasized its key role in designing, developing and managing Galileo, and has also threatened to demand the return of its financial contribution to the project, estimated at over $1 billion.
The Galileo project, which was launched in 2003 and put into space in 2016, was created as an alternative to US-based GPS and Russia-based GLONASS. The project is expected to be in full operation by 2020, while Brexit is scheduled for March 29, 2019.
