BRUSSELS: In the latest in a series of transatlantic spats, the EU on Friday rebuffed American criticism of a proposed EU network of navigation satellites that would rival the US military system.

The state department said the US saw “no compelling need” for the Galileo project — which, unlike the US system, is designed primarily for civilian rather than military purposes — because its own ground positioning system (GPS) would meet the world’s needs “for the foreseeable future.” Stung by a week that saw a row over US tariffs on steel imports, the European Commission’s spokesman Jonathan Faull retorted that it was none of Washington’s business.

“We don’t like monopolies, as you know,” Mr Faull said. “On the ‘compelling need’, that is a matter for Europe, not for the United States, obviously. We are absolutely convinced that there is a real need for the Galileo system. It is not in our interest — we don’t believe it is in the wider interest either — to have only one system.” France’s President, Jacques Chirac, warned last year that Europe risked “vassal status” if it abandoned Galileo.

The latest US criticism came days after Germany dropped its opposition to funding the US dollars 2.2bn project, increasing the chances that Britain and the Netherlands may agree to pay their share and enable the next phase to go ahead.

The state department said that if the EU did go ahead, the US wanted cooperation to ensure that the system was interoperable with GPS.

The Pentagon first publicly raised objections to Galileo last year, warning that future enemies might be able to interfere with the system.

Galileo would consist of a network of 38 satellites, which the EU would like to have in place by 2008. Brussels says it is vital not only for Europe’s technology sector, but also for its strategic independence.

The EU system would be controlled by civilian staff and used for purposes such as air traffic control. It would also attract revenue from mobile phone networks. —Dawn/The Guardian News Service.