The Galileo programme was the first of its kind in several respects: it was the first close collaboration between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Commission on such a large space programme, the first industrial programme to be managed at European level and the first time the Commission was to participate in a public-private partnership (PPP).
Programm Galileo oli esimene seda liiki programm mitmel põhjusel: Galileo oli esimene, mille raames tehti tihedat koostööd ESA ja komisjoni vahel seoses nii suure kosmoseprogrammiga, ta oli esimene Euroopa tasandil juhitud tööstusprogramm ning komisjon osales esimest korda avaliku ja erasektori partnerluses .