Ukraine reached an agreement with the European Union (EU) to participate in the Galileo satellite navigation project, becoming the third non-EU country to join the program, the EU announced June 3.

The agreement gives Ukraine a stake in the Galileo Joint Undertaking and covers cooperation in the science and technology, industrial manufacturing, service and market development sectors, as well as standardization, frequency, and certification areas.

Israel and China are the other countries outside of the EU committed to the project, with negotiations under way with several others, the EU said.

The EU hopes to begin broadcasting Galileo signals as early as this year and have the system fully operational by 2008.