EU court backs space agency ESA on excluding OHB in Galileo contract (updated)

OHB SE

26/05/2021 13:50

(Adds details)
    By Foo Yun Chee
    BRUSSELS, May 26 (Reuters) - Europe's second-top court on
Wednesday rejected a request by OHB System AG  OHBG.DE  to
suspend a decision by the European Space Agency to exclude the
German satellite company from a Galileo public contract, which
went to its rivals Airbus  AIR.PA  and Thales Alenia Space.
    The Luxembourg-based General Court also dismissed OHB's
application for interim relief.
    OHB took its grievance to the Court in January this year
after it lost out on the Galileo transition satellite contract,
saying that Airbus had recruited one of its executives who had
played a decisive role in helping the planemaker prepare its
offer. 
    The Court, which had issued a preliminary ruling in January
suspending ESA's decision, made its final decision on Wednesday
after hearing the European Commission's plea.
    "The General Court dismisses the application to suspend the
operation of the decisions of the European Space Agency, acting
in the name and on behalf of the European Commission, providing
for the exclusion of the German company OHB System from the
public contract for the 'Procurement of Galileo transition
satellites," judges said. 
    They pointed to the importance of the European satellite
navigation programmes, which attracted more than 7 billion euros
($8.6 billion) in EU investments in the 2014-2020 period.
    ($1 = 0.8181 euros)

 (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Louise Heavens)
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