Brussels, 11/03/2002 (Agence Europe) - Presenting the results of the Research Council, the Spanish Science and Technology Minister Ana Maria Birules highlighted the Spanish Presidency's desire to respect the timetable (thereby adopting the 6th Framework Research Programme by the end of the first six months of 2002). Together with European Commissioner Philippe Busquin, she appealed to the Barcelona European Council to adopt the target of 3% GDP for research spending by 2010 (see EUROPE of 2 February, p.8, on the informal council of research ministers in Girona). She pointed out that this would also require substantial investment from the private sector.
The Ministers expressed their views on the administrative aspects of the new Framework Programme but the meeting did not lead to hard guidelines. While all the Member States agree on the number of specific programmes (five in total), their views diverge on the structure and the powers of the programme committee that will be selecting the research projects. Most delegations (including Belgium, Ireland, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain) generally supported the Commission's proposal to set up a management committee with consultative powers. Other Member States, however, want a regulation procedure that would enable Member States to have a genuine right to monitor the selection process. This is particularly the view of the Netherlands, which along with Finland is calling for one committee per research area in order to avoid, in Finnish Minister Sinikka Mönkäre's words, "administrative chaos". Such a system would, however, lead to a lot of expert groups meeting in Brussels at great cost at a time when the Commission is attempting to cut management spending in order to focus more of the funding on research proper. Management and regulation procedures have existed side by side so far in the Framework Programmes. In terms of the rules governing participation, several delegations (including France, Germany and Italy) argue that the minimum number of participants should be increased from three to five or seven. As we reported in EUROPE of 8 March, p. 11, the main sticking point is the sensitive issue of partners being jointly liable if one of the participants drops out. The Commissioner attempted to reassure Member States that fear that this provision would discourage small and medium-sized enterprises from participating. He explained that the clause would only be used in the event of fraud in order to safeguard the Community's financial interests and that it would no longer apply to universities, which benefit from a State guarantee.
The Commissioner also presented to the Council the negotiating brief for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), of a total cost of EUR 10,030 million, with two funding scenarios for construction of the reactor: (1) in the EU (EUR 4;824 million, in including 3,635 from the Euratom budget); (2) in a third country (EUR 3,910 million of which 3,618 is from Euratom). These scenarios are based on costs being broken down between the partners and construction costs being borne by the host country. As far as operating costs are concerned (totalling EUR 5,300, that is, a share of EUR 2,220 for Europe), which would amount to an annual EUR 111 million, the bill also envisages two keys for cost breakdown for a reactor built in Europe (75% for Euratom, 20% for the host Member State, 5% for the associate countries of the EU) and for a reactor outside Europe (95% Euratom and 5% for associate countries). Three countries are currently candidates for hosting the reactor: France, Canada and Japan. During the press conference, Ms Birulés recalled that Spain is in the process of carrying out a feasibility study but has not yet put forward its candidature.
Portuguese Minister José Gago called his colleagues' attention to the risks that a possible decision by the Commission to no longer ensure the secretariat of this research organisation (which should, however, be one of the elements of the European Research Area) would have for the COST network. Danish Minister Helge Sander pointed out that a ministerial meeting devoted to the future of COST will take place on 5 September this year in Copenhagen.