ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES 
DE LA COMMISSION 
 
 
 
COLLECTION RELIEE DES 
DOCUMENTS "COM" 
 
 
 
 
COM (85) 392 
 
 
 
Vol. 1985/0 151 
  
 
Disclaimer  
Conformém ent au règlement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du 1er février 1983 
concernant l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique 
européenne et de la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983, 
p. 1), tel que modifié par le règlement (CE, Euratom) n° 1700/2003 du 22 septembre 2003 
(JO L 243 du 27.9.2003, p. 1), ce dossier est ouvert au public. Le cas échéant, les documents 
classifiés présents dans ce dossier ont été déclassifiés conformément à l'article 5 dudit 
règlem ent. 
In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983 
concerning the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Economic 
Community and the European Atomic Energy Communit y (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as 
amended by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1700/2003 of 22 September 2003 (OJ L 243, 
27.9.2003, p. 1), this file is open to the public. Where necessary, classified documents in this 
file have been declassified in conformity with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation. 
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom  1. 
Februar 1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen 
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und der Europäischen Atomgem einschaft (ABI. L 43 vom  15.2.1983, 
S. 1), geändert durch die Verordnung (EG, Euratom) Nr. 1700/2003 vom 22. Septem ber 2003 
(ABI. L 243 vom 27.9.2003, S. 1), ist diese Datei der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Soweit 
erforderlich, wurden die Verschlusssachen in dieser Datei in Übereinstimmung mit Artikel 5 
der genannten Verordnung freigegeben. 
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
C 0 M C 8 5 ) 392 fin a l. 
Brussels, 17 July 1985
M E D IU M -T E R M  G U ID ELIN ES F O R  T E C H N IC A L S T E E L  R E S E A R C H
(1986 - 1990)
(under Article 5 5  of the E C S C  Treaty)
C0M (85) 392 fin a l.

A N N E X
MEDIUM-TERM GUIDELINES FOR TECHNICAL STEEL RESEARCH  (1986 _ 199Q)
(under Article 55 of the ECSC Treaty)
PREAMBLE
All enterprises, research institutes and individual persons wishing to 
engage in research within the meaning of Article 55 of the E C S C  Treaty 
m a y m ake application to the Commission of the European Communities for 
the grant of financial assistance.
S uch applications must relate to the fields of science and technology 
outlined below in these medium-term guidelines. U pon receipt, 
applications w ill undergo selection by the Commission which w ill bear in 
mind the need to ensure that financial expenditure is concentrated upon 
research projects which best satisfy the crite ria  of this medium-term 
programme.
The procedures to be followed in applying for financial support, the 
terms and conditions of aid as well as the obligations relating to the 
dissemination of the results of the research are given in a  communication 
published in the O fficial Journal of the European Communities No. C 139 of 
12 November 1974.
Application should be submitted before 1  September of each year in order 
to be effective in the following year.
I. BACKGROUND
Article 55 of the Treaty concerning the establishment of the European 
Coal and Steel Community specifies that the Commission of the European 
Communities shall promote technical and economic research relating in 
particular to production and increased use of steel and to occupational 
safety in the steel industry.
Guidelines for steel research are laid dow n periodically by the 
Commission with the aims of:
- concentrating effort on the p rio rity technological needs of the steel 
industry and
- fa c ilita tin g  the selection of projects for financial support from the 
Commission of the European Communities
The most recent guidelines covered the period 1981-85 *
1
The total amount of financial aid granted for these collaborative 
programmes since their com m encem ent in 1955 is about 2 7 1 m illion European 
units of account which represents about 6 0 %  of the total cost of the 
research undertaken.

-2-
From  the outset, the aim has been to encourage research and development 
effort to meet the co m m o n  technological requirements of the steel 
industry with the overall objective of improving its international 
competitiveness. A s  a  consequence, the policy for steel research forms an 
integral part of the Commission's strategy for the steel sector which 
is periodically defined in the General Objectives Steel-·
II. OBJECTIVES
The two major objectives for collaborative research on steel are:
- the achievement of improved cost-competitiveness in the production and 
processing of steel along with the enhancement and greater uniformity 
of quality in its various aspects
- the stimulation of steel consumption, in domestic and export markets by 
the development of improved steel grades and new  uses for products 
technologically and economically more advanced that those of our 
competitors.
S o m e  7 6 %  of the Community's steel is produced by blast furnace-oxygen 
converter route while the remaining 2 4 %  com es from the steel scrap- 
electric arc furnace. Over the medium term, there w ill be no radical 
change to this situation so it  is understandable that m uch of the 
process-oriented research w ill be directed at achieving relevant 
incremental improvements to these technologies. In parallel with this 
e ffo rt, however, there w ill remain the need for som e effort to be 
directed at developing radically new  process routes.
While recognising the significance of process-oriented research, however, 
the present situation in the industry is calling for a  major sh ift in 
emphasis to ensure that R & D  becomes more market-driven. It is v ita l that 
product-oriented research is effective in defending traditional markets 
as well as in extending the areas of apolication and uses for steel. 
Issues of major concern w ill include substitution bv other materials, 
better corrosion resistance steels, more consistent quality, increasingly 
stringent consumer specifications, lighter weight higher strength steels 
and the role of research as a  stimulus in establishing new  and up-dating 
existing codes and standards by the appropriate bodies.
It is also necessary to develop detailed scie n tific and technical 
information for users on a  very practical basis in order to promote steel 
within and outside the Community. This e ffo rt is essential both to
meeting users' requirements and to provide a  real incentive for 
innovation.
In the achievement of these goals, E C S C  steel research has a  major 
contribution to m ake to the industry's com m on research objectives with 
emphasis being placed on short-to-mediurn term needs, as well as, on 
selected longer-term basic e ffo rt of practical relevance.
Thus, the programme w ill remain an important source of scie n tific and 
technical information which m a y be applied and exploited by individual 
companies in pursuit of their more specific and more commercial 
objectives as well as a  major stimulus to collaboration in research 
within the steel sector.

-3-
III. CRITERIA
The crite ria  to be satisfied in the selection of applications for 
financial support by the E C S C  are as follows:
the objectives of the framework programme for Community research, and 
the general objectives for steel defined periodically by the Commission 
under Article 46 of the E C S C  Treaty
the interest of the research for the steel industry (producers and 
consumers) of the Community
the value of the research in relation to the main objectives of the 
programme (outlined above)
the advantages (added value) offered by undertaking the research at a  
Community level from the Doint of view of efficiency and financing or 
from the scientific and technical point of view comoared with effort at 
an individual level.
IV. ORIENTATION OF COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH
In the application of these selection crite ria  and taking into account 
the two major objectives mentioned in section II regarding improved 
cost-competitiveness in the production and processing of steel and the 
stimulation of steel consumption, the p rio ritie s for collaborative 
research over the period 1986-1990, are:
A ) For production and processing of steel
For the industry's energy requirements, coal w ill remain the primary 
source and further research w ill be directed at:
- energy saving and substitution
- direct use of coal both in existing and in n e w  production technologies
Regarding iron ore, the trend to use high quality materials w ill continue 
but procedures w ill be needed in the future to permit the blast furnace 
to operate with lower quantities of them.
A s  increasing quantities of nuclear energy becom e available in the 
Community, attention w ill be focussed on:
- production technologies combining coal and e le ctricity
- development and application of plasma metallurgy.
In steelmaking, continuous casting w ill remain a  key area for research to 
include :
- improving casting machine performance (including product quality) and 
increasing casting speed
- extending the range of steel grades that can be cast continuously
- developing simpler and less costly machines with the capacity of 
producing thin sections.

-4-
Efforts to increase yield in steelmaking have implications for scrap 
a va ila b ility thus raising problems connected with :
- scrap quality and up-grading techniques
- residual elements
- u tilisa tio n  of alternative materials e.g. pre-reduced iron 
In ro llin g , p rio rity  w ill be given to:
- the integration of the continuous casting machine with the rolling  m ill 
("hot connection")
- improved control of dimensional tolerances
- greater uniformity of quality of rolling m ill products
Finally, a  major contribution to technological innovation in the industry 
w ill stem from the wider application of computer process control systems.
B ) For stimulation of steel consumption
In order to promote the qualities of steel, which because of its 
properties is s t i l l  an essential material in the development of modern 
technologies, and to thwart attempts to replace it by other materials 
(aluminium, plastics, e tc.), the long-term cost-effectiveness of which 
s t i l l  has to be demonstrated by an overall economic evaluation (cost of 
raw materials, processing, fabricating, recycling, etc.) it  is essential 
to continue research on the specific parameters of steel, in particular:
- basic metallurgical research
- the development of grades that can withstand corrosive environments
- the design and development of clad steel
- the design of alloys meeting specific requirements
- the regularity of product characteristics and tolerances
- the improvement of the quality and re lia b ility  of measurements
- the preparation and distribution of "practical guides for users".
The fields of application to be given p rio rity  are:
- m eans of transport
- structural steelwork and infrastructure in general
- energy
- packaging
- tooling and engineering.
A s  regards the use of steel, existing contacts with fabricators and 
consumers must be intensified, in particular to ensure better 
transmission of information and wider a v a ila b ility  of research results.
In brief efforts must be m ade to obtain:
- increased knowledge of the properties of steels
- greater competitiveness of steels and components
- better quality and re lia b ility  of products
- more advanced standardization and harmonization of recommendations and 
codes

-5-
Agcnn-st ihe; current general and more particularly economic background, 
the following must be taken into account:
- the cost of energy
- environmental problems 
savings in alloying elements.
A s far as the necessary funds are concerned, it  should be realized hat 
support for research is a  v ita l factor for the Community steel industry. 
B y w ay of comparison, the Japanese steel industry spends approximately
l.d to 1.54 of its annual sales revenue on research and develoDment, 
about twice as m u ch  as Europe.
That is w hy a  forceful R & D  policy in the steel industry, bearing in mind 
a ll the random fluctuations in the current economic situation, requires 
the Commission to grant to steel research and development an amount of 
aid that w ilt progressively be increased in real terms.
***
(1) O.J. No. C99/3, 2  M a y  19 81
(2) The most recent version is "General Objectives Steel 1985" 
(Com(83)239)
(3) O.J. No. C208/3, 4  August 1983