The European Union (EU) and India on Wednesday signed an agreement sealing India's partnership in Europe's Galileo satellite navigation system, making India the fourth non-EU country to join the program.

Under the deal, signed in the Indian capital New Delhi during the sixth India-EU summit, India will participate in the development of the project, and in return, the EU will allow India to use its navigation system.

"Considering that India has well-proven capabilities in space, satellite, and navigation-related activities, the agreement will provide a positive impulse for India and European industrial cooperation in many high-tech areas," the European Commission said in a statement.

The EU and India began negotiations to cooperate on the program in January 2004. The agreement was reached after rounds of intense talks, as both sides tried to increase their advantages in the deal, EU officials said.

The Galileo satellite navigation program was approved by EU transport ministers in 2002 to rival the US Global Positioning System.

The system is scheduled to go into service in 2008, with uses ranging from helping motorists navigate electronic maps to assisting search-and-rescue operations.

China, Israel and the Ukraine have already joined the Galileo navigation program, and talks are also underway with Argentina, Brazil, Morocco, Mexico, Norway, Chile, South Korea, Malaysia, Canada and Australia.

Source: Xinhua