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Spy satellites, internal security

European Union to spy on its own constituents

The European Union, which couldn't get its own constitution, is now spying on nations and private individuals. The EU is building its own network of spy satellites allowing the crystal palace in Brussels to make sure that those they govern are obeying its policies.

The multi-billion pound system has one of those innocuous sounding names, "Global Monitoring for Environment and Security, GMES for short. GMES should be up and running for satellite spy duty by 2010.

"Announcing the launch of a "pilot stage" for GMES, the commission pushed its "user-friendly" application in guiding relief work after disasters or providing real time images of forest fires or oil spills." (News.telegraph, Nov. 15, 2005).

Reading the fine print, however will show a commission memo also acknowledging that GMES would play a key role in the "implementation, review and monitoring of EU policies."

Monitoring, EU style includes satellite sentry duty over farmer's fields and surveillance set up for fisheries fraud. GMES, the commission said would also boost "internal security".

It should arouse public suspicion that officials hope GMES will support the EU's first steps towards becoming a military power. It will "provide authorities with necessary elements for a European Security and Defence Policy", according to the commission memo.

The commission in Brussels will identify and develop possible uses for GMES. The management of the satellites will fall to the European Space Agency (ESA), which pools the space resources of 15 EU member states, including Britain, plus Norway and Switzerland.

U.S. politicians are already suspicious of the ESA's "Galileo" project, a 30-satellite global navigation system designed to improve the Pentagon-controlled GPS system. The EU's invitation to China to become a major investor, of course only increased U.S. concern,

Gregor Kreuzhuber, the commission's spokesman for industry policy, made GMES sound as innocent as a child's favourite fairytale, describing it as "a little brother for Galileo, a sort of satellite system where you can better monitor what is happening on our planet."

GMES is expected to exploit existing assets belonging to individual nations. National government would retain control over their satellites, Kreuzhuber said.

Harmonizing the use of national assets in space should mean Europe does not need to launch a full set of new satellites though some EU spacecraft are expected to be needed.

With the ESA, the commission has already spent €154 million on prepatory work, and expects the entire project to cost €1.54 billion between 2006 and 2013, Funding is to come from the commission, national governments and private defence and space firms.

Meanwhile, Big Brother is not watching but spying on you.

Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com