Strasbourg, 15/06/2006 (Agence Europe) - The Finnish Presidency is to inherit the tricky task of harmonising the positions of the Council and Parliament on the proposal for a 7th Framework Research Programme for the period 2007-2013, with a budget of €54.5 billion. During its vote in first reading on Thursday, the Parliament adopted a stance that will not hamper the search for a compromise, although the adoption of three hundred amendments or so does imply some divergence. On the whole, the two Union legislative institutions agree with the Commission on the structure of the programme, and the establishment of the European Research Council (ERC) responsible for promoting exploratory research at the borders of knowledge. On others, there is agreement between Parliament and Council, and it is the Commission that will have to give way. Such is the case when it comes to separation between the research activities devoted to security and those relating to space. There is some divergence, however, mainly concerning the breakdown of funding: Parliament hopes to grant more funding to research on health and security than the Council, which increases the budget earmarked for the information society. Parliament is also hoping for a little more money for the ERC while the Council is slightly more generous with the chapter on infrastructure (each time the difference is by way of €100 million over seven years).
The Parliament scrupulously, albeit sometimes with rather tenuous majorities, followed the position of its industry committee (see EUROPE 9202 on the report by former Polish Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek). It thus rejected a series of amendments by Giuseppe Gargani (Forza Italia), Angelika Niebler (CSU) and Anna Zaborska (EPP-Ed, Slovakia) aimed at drastically reducing or banning Community research funding on embryonic stem cells. The Parliament adopted by 284 votes to 249 and 32 abstentions the amendment by the industry committee providing for: (1) financing under the 7th FPRD to be banned for: - research aimed at human cloning for reproductive purposes; - research aimed at modifying the genetic heritage of human beings which could make such changes inheritable; or research intended to create human embryos solely for the purpose of research or the purpose of stem cell procurement; and (2) research on the use of human stem cells, both adult and embryonic, may be financed depending on the context of the scientific proposal and the legal framework of the Member State concerned. For the rest, the amendment simply refers to control measures taken by the relevant authorities of Member States. The text is a real about-turn on the part of the Parliament which had, during examination of the 6th FPRD, fought hard to obtain a real research framework on stem cells of human embryonic origin. The Council, which had preferred to postpone examination of this issue after the vote of the EP, seemed to be moving towards renewal of the framework.
What is curious about the vote is the adoption of an amendment by Green members David Hammerstein Mintz of Spain and Marie-Hélène Aubert of France, bringing a new thematic priority devoted to fishing and the sustainable exploitation of the oceans into the cooperation programme. The amendment, which gives details of all the activities that could be conducted under this title, does not, however, give any proposal for a change in the budgetary breakdown. As far as energy is concerned, an amendment by Belgian Socialist Philippe Busquin and German Social Democrat Mechthild Rothe provides for around two-thirds of the budget to go towards research conducted under the three renewable energy activities and energy efficiency and savings. The plenary did not, however, follow the views of the former European Commissioner who wanted to make an oral addition at the time of the vote on hydrogen and fuel cells. Finally, adopting an amendment by the Greens and by Patrizia Toia (La Margherita) of Italy, Jorgo Chatzimarkakis (FDP, Germany) and Paul Rübig (ÖVP, Austria), the Parliament reintroduced minimum objectives of SME participation in the cooperation programme. It calls for 15% of the cooperation programme budget to be allocated to SMEs.
With 457 votes to 97 and 22 abstentions, the European Parliament gave its opinion (it is not consulted) on the Euratom chapter of the framework programme which earmarks €3.3 billion for nuclear research, the lion's share (2.9 billion) going to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project. All Greens amendments on the programme were rejected. We recall that the Council had not managed to approve its general guidelines due to reservation expressed by Austria which called for funding for fission to be exclusively devoted to nuclear safety. The programme has a shorter life span than the EC chapter: five years (2007-2011).
After one year of debating and 1,500 amendments, the French UMP member, Dominique Vlasto (EPP-ED), hastened to welcome “a happy, but forced, delivery”. The result also delighted Rapporteur Jerzy Busek although he voted with his Polish EPP colleagues against the amendment on stem cell research.
Jerzy Buzek is hoping that the speed at work will not change over coming months so that a second reading after the summer break can take place leading to the entry into force of the 7th RDFP at the beginning of 2007.
The vote on stem cells will be the subject provoking the most polemic from protagonists. Italian Mario Mauro (Forza Italia) will therefore be criticising the making of the framework programme into an instrument of nihilist and relativist ideologies. Dutch Liberal Toine Manders (VVD), however, said, “listening to all this discussion on biotechnology creates the impression that the debate is restricted to ethical questions. Naturally, we should prevent abuses, but we should not, however, abandon this research to other research. If we do, we will have two kinds of European patients: those who are cared for at home and those who can travel to China or elsewhere for access to the most recent medical progress”. Philippe Busquin said that research on stem cells was important, “especially for citizens suffering from degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's. He also underlined that fact that “the signal from the European Parliament confirms that already emitted from the Commissioner for research and the majority of the Council”. He added that this would “give European researchers the means in areas that are too often put out of bounds by obscurantist and fundamentalist tendencies of all hues”. Pia Locatelli and Giovanni Berlinguer, Italians from the PES group, welcomed the vote for a “free and responsible science”.