Further to a Cooperation Agreement signed today, Norway will host two ground stations for Galileo. With this Agreement, Norwegian industries will be allowed to supply some niche technologies for Galileo and Norway will be more actively involved in the institutions and committees that participate to the governance of the program. Norway will also contribute about 70 million euros to the program. The agreement was signed by DG Enterprise Director General Heinz Zourek for the European Commission and by Mrs. Oda Helen Sletnes, the Norwegian ambassador to the EU for the Kingdom of Norway.
The European Commission will be able to install two ground stations for Galileo in Norway, one on the island of Svalbard and one on Norwegian Antarctic Territory. Norway commits to protecting the Galileo radio frequencies from disruption and interference and to protecting the Galileo ground facilities from intrusion. Noteworthy, Norway had already contributed technically and financially to the development phase of Galileo through its membership in the European Space Agency. The Cooperation Agreement covers the general principles of cooperation and the rights and obligations of Norway in areas that are not part of the existing Galileo acquis, especially those related to security, ground stations and radio spectrum.