Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Question 177: To ask the Minister for Transport the reason for his decision not to apply to the Director-General for Energy and Transport for the location of the technical agency of the Galileo project in Ireland, following the DG's correspondence with his Department in 2006. [10934/07]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I presume that the Deputy's question relates to the location of the Galileo Supervisory Authority. The Galileo project is an EU initiative which will provide Europe with its own independent global satellite navigation system. My Department co-ordinates Ireland's position in relation to Galileo at EU level and contacts are maintained with all relevant Government Departments on this issue. Ireland supports the European Commission's efforts to progress the development and deployment of the Galileo system. The project is being managed by the Galileo Supervisory Authority (GSA), which was established on 1 January 2007 following the winding up of the Galileo Joint Undertaking. The GSA is a Community agency and will be located in one of the EU Member States. Until a final decision on the location is taken, the provisional location for the GSA is Brussels. Eleven Member States have made bids to secure the location of the GSA, and no agreement has been reached to date. It is understood that the German Presidency will be seeking to make progress in relation to this issue.

Ireland's decision not to make a bid was influenced by the December 2003 European Council conclusion to give priority to newer Member States in the distribution of the seats of the agencies to be set up in the future.