Europe to Join Russia in Building Next Space Shuttle

The EU had plans for a shuttle in the early 1990's and even designed the Ariane 5 to lift it, but there was the usual political 'wait this is expensive!' reaction that brought the project to a stop.

Perhaps this project could resucitate that instead, since the launch system already exists.

As for there being 3 more Buran shuttles, the three survivors are scale models designed to give data on how the real things would fly. They were never spaceworthy. Three Burans were ordered in the late '80s, of which one was built and later destroyed in Khazhakstan. The other two were started but abandodned with the collapse of the USSR.

Buran is dead as the dodo.