Brussels, 01/02/2006 (Agence Europe) - In her presentation to the European Parliament's ITRE committee on 31 January, of the Austrian presidency's research priorities, Elisabeth Gehrer underlined the need to speed up adoption of the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Development for 2007-13. She conveyed her commitment to doing all she could to guarantee adoption of the programme as soon as possible and at the very least, conclude the first reading by June. All the different aspects of the framework programme, except budgetary breakdown from future financial perspectives, are on the Council and Parliament table, which until now have only roughly worked out part of the dossier. These two institutions will therefore have to work twice as hard, especially if an agreement is to be reached in the first reading. This is still possible if the MEPs are not left with the accumulation of all the draft amendments. If this is the case, a harmonious transition between the 6th and 7th FPRD will be helped enormously. The Austrian minister for education, science and culture was optimistic, as long as good will was forthcoming.
In an interview with EUROPE, Elisabeth Gehrer said that she had called on her collaborators to “to stay both night and day in Brussels” if necessary to conclude the first reading of the framework programme. Pointing out that Austria always tried to be optimistic, she explained that adoption in a first reading remained the objective, especially “if everyone shows goodwill, then this objective can be reached”. Among the elements of the future framework programme, the minister highlighted the European Research Council, which is “particularly important” for supporting fundamental research at the very frontiers of knowledge. Another domain is that of international cooperation. Referring to a steering platform currently being set up for the Balkans region on the basis of an Austrian initiative supported by the European Commission, Ms Gehrer explained that this kind of project was essential for promoting knowledge networking and transfer on the basis of economic development and job creation. She also sees the setting up of a European technology institute as a priority and its location as being less important than the network on which it is based. Commissioner Figel is expected to present the dossier in two weeks time. Gehrer avoided any comment on budget considerations but is pleased with the result of negotiations on financial perspectives. She explained that they could of course always hope for more but that they would were going to have a research budget that was 75% higher than the previous one mooted by the Commission. Gehrer stated that when arbitration is necessary, priority should be given to research activities that cannot be conducted at a national level. She also alluded to rare diseases such as those affecting children: epidermolysis bullosa syndrome; ichthyosis. The presidency is organising a symposium on this subject at the end of May in Brussels. The minister pointed out that other research activities (the first being a seminar on research security at the end of February in Vienna) included the presidency going down the Danube on a research dedicated boat, which highlighted the regional dimension of research. In connection with stem cell research, the minister pointed out that “adult stem cells had already been greatly successful”, notably in connection with tissue regeneration and umbilical cord blood. Stem cells from embryos, on the other hand, posed a number of ethical problems for several Member States. Elisabeth Gehrer concluded, however, that Austria may accept the extension of the 7th FPRD ethical framework for human embryo stem cells as defined in the 6th framework programme.