Brussels, 31/05/2001 (Agence Europe) - During the adoption, on Wednesday, of its package of proposals on specific programmes contained in the future 6th Framework Programme for Research and Development (FPRD), the European Commission also approved a communication on the implementation of Article 169 of the Treaty and the networking of national research programmes. It thus answers the questions raised by this article, unemployed to date and which provides, on the basis of codecision procedure, for the possibility that the Community may participate financially in research programmes conducted jointly by several Member States.
Recalling that over 80% of public research effort is made at the national level, mainly in the context of national or regional programmes, the Commission stresses the need to place these activities in a network in the context of structuring the European Research Area. The communication focuses above all on the arrangements for implementing Article 169 and describes the conditions for Community participation. The joint implementation of research programmes would be assured by the intermediary of a common working programme that should above all involve: - a common financing plan; - the redirection of certain activities to strengthen complementarity; - the launching of appeals for joint proposals; - and an effort for structuring. The participation of at least three different countries (including a minimum of two Member States, the third being a country involved in FPRD) would be required. The themes retained by the Commission are: - clinical testing of vaccines and medicines; - climate change; - emergent subjects (nano-technology, gene science); - highly integrated technological and industrial areas (aeronautics); - subjects linked to Community policies such as rail (transport) and water management (environment). In order to circumvent the problem raised by codecision procedure, the Commission proposes the adoption (in codecision) of a framework decision that would fix the general principles and the modalities for implementation of Article 69, leaving it up to the Commission to take technical decisions for implementation of each individual programme involving several Member States.
Busquin presents specific programmes to Parliament - Several MEPs insist on health research
Why, in the Sixth Framework Programme on Research, have we far fewer "specific programmes" than in the fifth?, was the question put, on Tuesday afternoon, by German Social Democrat Rolf Linkhor to Commissioner Philippe Busquin, who had just presented to the plenary session the proposals that the European Commission had approved on these specific programmes (see EUROPE of 31 May, p.6). Mr Linkhor fears that the "visibility" of the European research effort is suffering because of this, and Mr Busquin replied that it is precisely a question of preventing "dispersion" and an "over-sectoral approach". The programme comprises quite substantial financing, but "this is never more than 5% of the European research spending", he noted, adding: "Do not ask the programme to do all European research". Spanish Socialist Carlos Westendorp expressed a similar concern, but doubts that the higher concentration of projects will entail the synergies or the European added value hoped for. It is a matter of finding the "happy medium", said Commissioner Busquin, who pointed out: "we manage 14,000 projects - that is dispersion". French Green member Yves Piétrasanta hoped that Europe would not let its "brains" leave, and Mr Busquin reminded him of initiatives such at that of providing grants to make Europe more attractive to researchers so that they come to or remain in Europe.
British Conservative Caroline Jackson wanted greater clarity on what specific programmes can bring with regard to the effectiveness of vaccination in the case of foot and mouth disease. Mr Busquin replied on one hand that there is a document that takes stock of research carried out so far on this subject and that one of the advantages of the new specific programmes will be "greater availability to adjust them" to the new problems that may come to light. Belgian regionalist Nelly Maes insisted, for her part also, on the priority that should be given to research into health, and on the encouragement to be given to young researchers. The treatment given to young research workers in certain Member States is "scandalous", admitted Mr Busquin, who noted that the average age of researchers in Europe is above the average age of Europeans in general … In answer to questions raised by French Socialist Gérard Caudron on the budget of the 6th FPRD, Mr Busquin said he "understood that the Swedish Presidency plans to organise, during the Research Council on 26 June, a first informal discussion on the budget". Speaking of the Joint Rsearch Centre in Ispra (JRC), Mr Busquin, also in response to Mr Caudron, felt that the centre has a "future, if it is given useful tasks to do". He recalled that the intention was to focus its work on certain issues: controls, testing, environmental expertise, certain nuclear aspects, security and the information society.