EU GNSS Regulation 2014-2020

Regulation (EU) 1285/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council lays down the rules in relation to the implementation and exploitation of European Satellite Navigation Systems, applicable since 1 January 2014, has been published in the official journal of the European Union.

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Next the most important points are shown (it can be accessed the complete brochure here):

The system established under the Galileo programme shall be a civil system under civil control and an autonomous global navigation satellite system (GNSS) infrastructure consisting of a constellation of satellites and a global network of ground stations.

The aim of the Galileo programme is to establish and operate the first global satellite navigation and positioning infrastructure specifically designed for civilian purposes, which can be used by a variety of public and private actors in Europe and worldwide. The system established under the Galileo programme functions independently of other existing or potential systems, thus contributing amongst other things to the strategic autonomy of the Union.

The Galileo and EGNOS programmes are an industrial policy tool and are part of the Europe 2020 strategy, Those programmes provide many advantages for the economy and citizens of the Union, whose cumulative value has been estimated at approximately EUR 130 billion in the period 2014- 2034 (direct benefits resulting from the growth of the space market, direct benefits resulting from the growth of the downstream market for GNSS-based appli­cations and services, and indirect benefits resulting from the emergence of new applications in, or technology transfer to, other sectors, leading to new market oppor­tunities in other sectors, productivity gains across industry and public benefits generated by a reduction in pollution or by improved levels of safety and security).

The specific objectives of the Galileo programme shall be to ensure that the signals emitted by the system established under that programme can be used to fulfil the following functions:

  • To offer an open service (OS), which is free of charge to the user and provides positioning and synchronisation information intended mainly for high-volume satellite navi­gation applications.
  • To contribute, by means of Galileo open service signals and/or in cooperation with other satellite navigation systems, to integrity-monitoring services aimed at users of safety-of-life applications in compliance with international standards.
  • To offer a commercial service (CS) for the development of applications for professional or commercial use by means of improved performance and data with greater added value than those obtained through the open service.
  • To offer a public regulated service (PRS) restricted to government-authorised users, for sensitive applications which require a high level of service continuity, free of charge for the Member States, the Council, the Commission, EEAS and, where appropriate, duly authorised Union agencies; this service uses strong, encrypted signals.
  • To contribute to the search and rescue support service (SAR) of the COSPAS-SARSAT system by detecting distress signals transmitted by beacons and relaying messages to them.

The Galileo programme shall consist of the following phases:

  1. A definition phase during which the structure of the system was designed and its elements determined, which ended in 2001.
  2. A development and validation phase, scheduled to be completed by 31 December 2013, comprising the construction and launch of the first satellites, the establishment of the first ground-based infrastructure and all the work and operations necessary to validate the system in orbit.
  3. A deployment phase, with a budget of EUR 1 930 million, to be completed by 31 December 2020, comprising:
    • The construction, establishment and protection of all space-based infrastructure, in particular of all the satellites (including spares) necessary, and the related evolutive maintenance and operations.
    • The construction, establishment and protection of all ground-based infrastructure, in particular of the infra­structure required to control the satellites and process the satellite radio-navigation data, and of service centres and other ground-based centres, and the related evolutive maintenance and operations.
    • Preparations for the exploitation phase, including preparatory activities relating to the provision of the services.
  4. An exploitation phase, with a budget of EUR 3 000 million, comprising:
    •  The management, maintenance, continuous improvement, evolution and protection of the space-based infrastructure, including replenishment and obsolescence management.
    • The management, maintenance, continuous improvement, evolution and protection of the ground-based infrastructure, in particular of service centres and other ground-based centres, networks and sites, including replenishment and obsolescence management.
    • The development of future generations of the system and the evolution of the services.
    • Certification and standardisation operations associated with the programme
    • The provision and marketing of the services
    • Cooperation with other GNSS
    • All other activities needed to develop the system and ensure that the programme runs smoothly

The exploitation phase shall begin progressively between 2014 and 2015 with the provision of the initial services for the open service, search and rescue service and public regulated service. Those initial services shall be gradually improved and the other functions specified in the specific objectives referred before shall be gradually implemented with the aim of reaching full operational capability by 31 December 2020.

Revenue generated by the exploitation of the systems shall be collected by the Union, paid to the Union budget and allocated to the Galileo programms.

Given that the Commission represents the Union, which provides financing for the Galileo and EGNOS programmes alone and owns the systems, the Commission should be responsible for the progress of those programmes and their overall supervision. It should manage the funds allocated to the programmes under this Regulation, supervise the implementation of all activities of the programmes and ensure a clear division of responsibilities and tasks, in particular between the European GNSS Agency and ESA.

The European GNSS Agency is an agency of the Union that should be assigned certain tasks associated with programme security and its potential designation as a competent PRS authority. It should also contribute to the promotion and marketing of the systems, including by establishing contacts with users and potential users of the services provided under the Galileo and EGNOS programmes, and it should collect information on their requirements and developments on the satellite navi­gation market.

The Member States concerned should take all necessary measures to ensure the protection of the ground stations established on their territories.

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