The European GNSS Supervisory Authority (GSA) was initially established as a Community Agency on 12 July 2004, by Council Regulation (EC) 1321/2004, status amended in 2006 by Council Regulation (EC) No 1942/2006.
The European Council took this important step because of what it saw as the strategic nature of European satellite positioning and navigation programmes, which include both EGNOS and GALILEO, and the need to ensure that essential public interests in this field are adequately defended and represented.
With Regulation (EU) No. 912/2010, which entered into force on 9 November 2010, and subsequently amended by Regulation (EU) No. 512/2014 of 16 April 2014, the GSA was restructured into an agency of the European Union called the European GNSS Agency, ensuring the continuity of its activities.
The GSA's predecessor, the GALILEO Joint Undertaking (GJU) was set up in May 2002 by the European Community and the European Space Agency to manage the development phase of the GALILEO Programme. The GSA officially took over all tasks previously assigned to the GJU on 1 January 2007 which are continued by the GSA as “European GNSS Agency” within the scope of Regulation (EU) No. 912/2010, as amended.
Vision
Satellite navigation has made major inroads in many realms of society, impacting in increasingly profound ways on business, public services and consumer behavior. Along with delivering economic benefits to innovative service providers and related businesses, satellite navigation devices, now integrated within a wide variety of vehicles and transport systems, have changed how we manage the mobility, safety and security of people and goods in fundamental ways.
For users in the general public, the next logical development will be the integration of accurate positioning devices into every mobile telephone or similar handheld device, making possible a deep transformation of the way society deals with the dimensions of time and space.
By developing a new generation of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), Europe is laying the foundations for new high-technology industry development, job creation and economic growth. With Europe in the driving seat, independent and self-sustaining, GALILEO has the potential to become a key part of the global navigation positioning system of the future.
