A proposal now before the European Parliament and Council of the European Union would complete the transformation of the European GNSS Supervisory Authority (GSA) from the leading executive agency for the Galileo program into a diminished subsidiary of the European Commission (EC).

Instead, under the terms of EC Communication 139 released March 24, the GSA would be renamed the GNSS Agency with the EC holding veto power over its administrative board and the agency’s primary mission reduced to market research and promotion of Galileo as well as conducting security audits. On April 1, ownership of the EGNOS infrastructure was transferred to the EC, and a Brussels-based company, the European Satellite Services Provider (ESSP SaS), was entrusted with operation of the system.

The EC characterizes its communication as an effort to remove contradictions and ambiguities between the 2004 regulation establishing the GSA and a 2008 regulation outlining the public procurement for Galileo’s deployment. Although the 2008 regulation “implicitly and comprehensively amended the Supervisory Authority’s responsibilities, it had no impact on its internal organisation, and the Commission’s influence in this area continues to be very limited,” says the March 24 communication. “

“In order to ensure that the Authority acts while respecting the ‘Commission’s role as manager of the programmes’ and ‘in accordance with guidelines issued by the Commission,’ as is now provided for by Regulation (EC) No 683/2008,” the communication continues, “it is necessary to make changes to increase the Commission’s influence within the Authority’s internal organisation.”

Although the communication says the reorganized GSA would continue as a “Community Agency” — that is, one under the control of European member states rather than the EC.

These changes include giving the EC representative on the GSA/GNSS Agency’s administrative board a vote equal to half of that body’s votes, with the 27 representatives of the member states having the other half.

Moreover, the term of the agency’s executive director would be shortened to four years from the current five.

The communication calls for abolition of the GSA’s Scientific and Technical Committee. It’s responsibilities have been moved — along with many of the GSA’ technical staff — to the EC or to the ESA Evolutions project.

The EC’s proposal would also replace the GSA’s System Safety and Security Committee with a Security Accreditation Committee for European GNSS Systems.

More information:

http://www.insidegnss.com/node/1450