Strasbourg, 19/02/2001 (Agence Europe) - By adopting the report by the Dutch Liberal Elly Plooij-van Gorsel, the European Parliament brought its support to the development of the European Research Area and the guidelines formulated by Commissioner Philippe Busquin for the sixth framework programme (2002-2006).
The Parliament approved the introduction of new instrument in the research policy, and notably the integrated projects that should allow for better a better concentration of budgetary means on the priorities while favouring true synergies between the research institutes and SMEs. However it expressed reservations with regards to "the variable geometry" linked to the implementation of Article 169 of the EU Treaty (cooperation between several Member States in terms of research, with financial support from the framework programme). It requires for the general effect of the use of this instrument to be non-discriminatory between the large and small Member States and that the specific proposals for action in this category are included in the framework programme. The Parliament also invites the Commission and the Member states to grant a more significant place to human and social sciences in the sixth programme. On the other hand it rejected a paragraph that underlines the need to take into account the development of defence and security policies in Europe in the development of the European Research Area.