EU `Is Shooting Itself in Foot' Over Galileo, U.K.'s Davis Says

(Bloomberg) -- U.K. Brexit Secretary David Davis accused the European Union of shooting itself in the foot over the Galileo satellite navigation program “just to prove that the gun works.” He rejected the suggestion that Britain’s continued involvement would be a threat to security.

It was a blistering attack, delivered in London on Wednesday, over an issue that’s been brewing for a while. Britain’s participation in the 10 billion-euro navigation system is the latest source of clashes in Brexit negotiations ahead of a crucial summit in June.

In Davis’s opinion, “unhelpful precedents and assumptions on how third countries should cooperate with the EU is hindering projects that help the entire continent. Dogmatic responses based on what has happened before don’t help anyone.”

The EU has started making it harder for U.K. companies to win contracts for the next stages of the Galileo program and is excluding Britain from discussions about how the system will develop after Britain leaves the bloc, indicating that it could be a security risk.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jessica Shankleman in London at jshankleman@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at barden@bloomberg.net, Flavia Krause-Jackson

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