Strasbourg, 14/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the European Parliament is to adopt the final version of the 6th Framework Programme for Research and Development (FPRD) with a series of amendments endorsed by the Council. The timetable that foresaw the adoption of the FPRD before the end of the Spanish Presidency could therefore be kept and the road is now open for rapid adoption of the rules for participation and for specific programmes. On Monday evening on the fringe of the plenary, the parliamentary committee for industry unanimously adopted, less one abstention, all 34 compromise amendments negotiated with the Council and Commission during the trilogue on 7 May. The committee gave its rapporteur, Gérard Caudron (PES, France), a mandate for replacing the amendments adopted during the previous vote in committee with this new block of amendments. The vote in committee was preceded by a brief debate during which all the political groups expressed their support of the results of negotiations with the Council. After the trilogue, the main problem remained that of an ethical framework for research on living organisms, and some concern remained about support that could have been given by the EPP-Ed Group to an amendment with a view to strengthening this provision. The adoption of an amendment on this issue would have automatically led to particularly difficult conciliation procedure, but the shadow rapporteur for the Group, Dutch national Wim van Velzen, pointed out that his group rallied to the compromise negotiated with the Council and withdrew its amendment on the ethical issue.
The debate in plenary on Tuesday morning provided an opportunity for all participants to welcome the efforts made by the Rapporteur, the Commissioner and the successive Belgian and Spanish Council presidencies to listen and to reach compromises. Mr Caudron welcomed this dialogue and the results that it brought after one and a half years of intensive work. He recalled that, out of the 90 amendments adopted during the first vote in committee, thirty should, with the agreement of the Commission and Council and subject to several changes of form, be integrated in specific programmes. "This is my last big report at the European Parliament", added Mr Caudron, who explained he was standing for legislative elections in June, in France. Mr Caudron, who broke with the Socialist Party, is running fore election in the second constituency of the "Nord" for "la Gauche citoyenne" against the PS candidate. He pointed out that he would leave the European Parliament if elected. If not, he will remain MEP but expects the French Socialist delegation will request his exclusion from the PES Group. Speaking on behalf of the EPP-ED Group, Mr Van Velzen welcomed the efforts of the Council and Commission and said that the result reached is a "very great success" for the Parliament and the two other institutions. He pointed out, however, that members of his group planned to submit an amendment on ethics with the 32 signatures required for presenting an amendment when this is not supported by a political group. British Labour member Eryl McNally gave the PES Group's support to the compromise reached with the Council and felt that Commissioner Busquin was "exemplary", "patient and respectful of the Parliament's opinion". While giving the support of the ELDR Group to the compromise amendments, Dutch Liberal Elly Plooij-van Gorsel recalled the importance she attaches to the financing of the GEANT project. French Green member Yves Piétrasanta did not hide the fact that his group is divided over the question of ethics but paid tribute to the work of Mr Busquin and Mr Caudron, and stressed the large part that will be devoted to sustainable development in the future FPRD. Konstantinos Alyssandrakis expressed his support of the GUE/NGL group for the compromise amendments. After the fashion of José Ribeiro e Castro (UEN, Portugal), who urged for an amendment imposing unanimity for the funding of any research project, and Daniela Raschhofer (FPÖ), who spoke of a ban on using embryos, several MEPs called for a tighter ethical framework. German Christian Democrat Peter Liese called for an amendment introducing clear ethical rules, noting that subsidiarity did not mean that everyone can do as they please but everyone has to pay.
Commissioner Philippe Busquin hailed the outcome of the meeting, saying that the European Commission pledged to integrate 30 amendments in the specific programmes, noting that a mechanism had been foreseen to facilitate the changeover to the new instruments and that various EP requests had been satisfied vis-à-vis the importance accorded to health and also with regard to the budget breakdown. He said that the Commission's declaration on ethical issues clearly ruled out any funding for research projects on reproductive cloning, hereditary amendments and creating embryos for research purposes.
Council President Ramon Ramiron said that the programme was better than the first draft thanks to the three institutions working together and shared concerns (giving the examples of health an the GEANT network). Confirming the Council's agreement for the compromise amendments and the integration of others in the specific programmes, he expressed optimism that the programmes and participation rules could be speedily adopted.
The 34 compromise amendments stress the need for a smooth transition to the new instruments in the spirit of the mechanisms the rapporteur described as a stairway to excellence.
The needs of small and medium-sized companies have been taken into account and the amendments also take account of the EP's concerns with regard to health, particularly the funding of research projects on children's and central nervous system diseases (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Creutzfeld-Jakob).
Other issues were settled by a new budget breakdown which should be the final version (the figure in brackets indicates the change on the Council's common position): 1) concentrating and integrating EU research EUR 13,345 bn (+60 million), broken down into a) thematic priorities: 11,285 (+80) including 2,255 bn (+55 million) for live sciences: 1,100 (-50 million) for gene technology and its application to health); 1.155 (+105) to combat serious diseases; b) technology for the IT society: 3,625 bn (+25 million); c) nanotechnoogy and new materials: 1.3 bn; d) aeronautics and space: 1.075 bn; e) food quality and safety; 685 million; f) sustainable development: 2,120 bn to be shared among energy systems (810 million), land transport (610 million) and planet changes (700 million); g) citizens and governance: 225 million; h) specific actions covering a wider area of research: 1.3 bn (-20 million) divided into anticipating needs: 555 million (-15), horizontal action for SMEs: 430 million (-20) and international co-operation: 315 million (-15); i) JRC's non-nuclear activities: 760 million; 2) structuring the European research area: 2,605 bn (-50 million) including 290 million (-10 million) for research and innovation; 1,580 bn (-50 million) for human resources; 655 million (-10) for research infrastructure; 80 million (+20) for science and society; 3) strengthening European research: 320 million (-10) including 270 million (-10) for co-ordinating activity and 50 million for coherent policy development.
This new breakdown does not change the total funding (EUR 16,270 billion) for the EEC research programme (the EURATOM and FPRD sections have already been adopted). It should be noted that 15% of the funding for thematic priorities will be allocated to SMEs; up to EUR 400 million can be allocated to cancer in life sciences priorities; a total of EUR 300 million has been foreseen for GEANT and GRID under the information society and infrastructure headings; and in total (under several headings) EUR 600 million have been earmarked for international co-operation.