«The Portuguese presidency is very pleased with the agreement that was established last Friday among the Member States of the European Union to unblock the financing of two fundamental initiatives for Europe, the Galileo project - the European system of satellite radio-navigation - and the European Institute of Technology», stated today Manuel Lobo Antunes, the joint secretary of state and for European affairs, in a press conference.

According to Manuel Lobo Antunes, this agreement that was now reached by the 27 and which guarantees the financing of 2.400 million euros for the Galileo project and another 2.700 million euros to finance the European Institute of Technology, was one of the most complicated issues in the agenda of the Portuguese presidency of the EU and one of its priorities. «Some people even advised us to abandon these projects. But we preferred to try to reach an agreement», stated the joint secretary of state and for European affairs.

For Manuel Lobo Antunes these two projects are essential to Europe not only on a level of technological development but on a strategic one as well. Galileo is the European system of satellite radio-navigation, an alternative to the American GPS system. The European Institute of Technology is already a milestone in the development of science and technology in the EU.

According to Manuel Lobo Antunes, these projects will be financed by the transfer of expenses between budgetary items and by «leftovers» from the communitarian budget. The agreement among the 27 Member States was obtained after a marathon of negotiations that ended with the consensus of all countries of the EU, except Germany, which was against the financing model.

«This is a victory of the Portuguese presidency», stated the joint secretary of state and for European affairs, who took the opportunity to highlight other priorities of the Portuguese presidency that were already accomplished, such as the approval of the Treaty of Lisbon, the EU-Brazil Summit, the moratorium on the Death Penalty or the EU-Africa Summit, which will take place in Lisbon in the next two weeks.