The EU plans to fast-track antitrust approval for Project Bromo, a satellite venture meant to cut Europe's reliance on American space technology, Bloomberg reports. The news comes days after the White House ordered the Pentagon to slow Starshield, the military-grade Starlink service Ukraine's forces use, according to Reuters.

Project Bromo would merge the satellite businesses of Italy’s Leonardo and France’s Airbus and Thales into one company. Bloomberg calls it the bloc’s answer to SpaceX, and the EU sees it as a regional giant able to compete with US and Chinese rivals.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has backed the project, Eunews reports.

“These are the types of industrial champions we need if Europe is to lead in the space economy of tomorrow,” she said at an international space summit in Paris last month, citing Bromo by name.

A year of quiet groundwork before the filing

Over the past year, the partners and EU officials have worked through potential competition concerns so they can be resolved before a formal application, according to Bloomberg. The companies have not yet applied, but Brussels expects them to in the coming weeks.

For large deals, regulators usually hold such preliminary talks to flag obstacles early. If the companies offer concessions, such as selling some assets, the deal could clear after a first-phase review of a little over a month. If competition concerns remain, the Commission could open an in-depth probe lasting several months.

The caveat behind the SpaceX-rival label

A fast review is not a free pass. Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera has warned that the project cannot expect one, and unions and suppliers have raised concerns about jobs and competition, Bloomberg reports. Von der Leyen’s public backing drew criticism from some members of the European Parliament.

Her support “doesn’t mean we are not going to apply and to enforce our own regulation,” Ribera told Bloomberg TV.

Why it matters to Ukraine

The push is part of a wider European scramble for space autonomy. Ukraine wants to build a satellite system of its own that no single company controls.

This week showed why. After the Starshield order, the military-grade terminals stopped working on fast-moving objects, and now work only at speeds of up to 160 kph, a person in Ukraine’s Defense Ministry told Reuters. Ukrainian officials said the restrictions complicated strike missions against Russian forces and logistics in occupied territory and slowed the interceptor drones that shoot down Shaheds.

Questa mattina, un nuovo corteo di mezzi agricoli e trattori ha percorso un tratto della strada statale Gela-Catania. È cominciato lo sciopero degli autotrasportatori siciliani annunciato nei giorni scorsi per il caro carburante. Alla protesta non aderiscono le imprese di Confindustria Catania che in un primo momento aveva annunciato lo sciopero dei tir dal 16 al 22 ottobre. “L’adesione è totale – dice Salvatore Bella coordinatore del comitato che stamane terrà una conferenza stampa – In Sicilia non circolano mezzi pesanti. Non capiamo perchè il ministro Salvini abbia convocato le sigle che non scioperano lasciando fuori dal confronto quelle che scioperano. È inaudito lasciare fuori gli autotrasportatori siciliani“.

Intanto da ieri notte, a Gela (Caltanissetta), al presidio allestito dagli agricoltori per protestare sui prezzi dei carburanti, sono fermi anche decine di tir e camion. Gli autotrasportatori che hanno fermato i loro mezzi lungo la rotonda stradale di ingresso a Gela dicono di non riuscire più a sostenere i rincari, “Ottomila euro in più all’anno per ogni veicolo che percorre 100 mila chilometri e un prezzo del gasolio salito a oltre 2,16 euro al litro, con un rincaro di 0,35 euro rispetto a febbraio”, dicono. Intanto tir e camion degli aderenti al comitato trasporto siciliano sono fermi nei porti e non scaricano le navi e nei piazzali delle ditte.

L'articolo Caro carburante, in Sicilia è iniziato lo sciopero degli autotrasportatori proviene da Il Fatto Quotidiano.