A4-0121/95

Resolution on the communication from the Commission on 'Research and technological development: Achieving coordination through cooperation' (COM(94)0438 - C4-0212/94)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the communication from the Commission on 'Research and technological development: Achieving coordination through cooperation' (COM(94)0438 - C4-0212/94),

- having regard to the chapter on coordination of research policy by the Commission in the Annual report concerning the financial year 1993 of the Court of Auditors of the Community (( OJ C 327, 24.11.1994, p. 1.)),

- having regard to its resolution of 6 May 1994 on coordinating the research and technological development policies (R& TD policies) of the European Community and the Member States (( OJ C 205, 25.7.1994, p. 471.)),

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Research, Technological Development and Energy and the opinions of the Committee on Budgets, the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy, the Committee on Transport and Tourism, the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education and the Media and the Committee on Development and Cooperation (A4-0121/95),

A. whereas, following the Council resolution of 14 January 1974 (( OJ C 7, 29.1.1974, p. 6.)), coordination of national policies and defining projects of Community interest in the field of research and technology have already been made the responsibility of a Scientific and Technical Research Committee (CREST),

B. whereas the task of coordinating national R& D policies within the meaning of the Council resolution of 14 January 1974 has been implemented very inadequately,

C. whereas both CREST and the programme committees of the specific research programmes of the Union must be involved more closely in coordinating Community and national R& D policies with the assistance of the services of the Commission,

D. whereas the establishment of supplementary research programmes and participation pursuant to Articles 130 k and 130 l of the Union Treaty could aid cooperation between the Member States if such programmes and participation are designed specifically with cooperation in mind,

E. whereas there is a need for coordination of R& TD policies, but whereas this should not lead to a harmonization of those projects which need competition in order to obtain optimal results,

1. Believes that effective coordination of the R& D policies of the Member States and between such policies and the Community's R& D policy requires a redefinition of the institutionalized coordination bodies;

2. Calls, in this connection, for the main objective of CREST to be to advise the Commission and the Council on the definition of the European Union's policy on research and technology, and to analyse and compare the national policies and the Community policy on research and development, in order to promote its coordination;

3. Points out that this will require the presence at some of the CREST meetings of senior officials with decision-making powers at a national level and with a clear mandate for CREST;

4. Expects the future CREST to identify the EU's key research areas, to play a coordinating role in anticipation of decisions on national research policies and to establish a form of frequent communication with the programme committees for the specific research programmes;

5. Calls, furthermore, for CREST and the Commission not only to coordinate research and development but also to coordinate R& D and other EU policies, in particular in respect of the environment and transport;

6. Calls for harmonization within the European Union of the criteria for evaluating the efficiency of coordination of the research programmes that are funded in respect of economic growth and social prosperity;

7. Calls for CREST to carry out the preparatory work to enable the Council of Research Ministers to consider, at regular intervals, progress reached in coordination and to use this as an opportunity for ensuring a two-way flow of information between the Member States;

8. Seeks, furthermore, regular additional joint annual meetings of its Committee on Research, Technological Development and Energy and CREST so that Parliament's committee can be informed promptly of the coordination of European R& D policies;

9. Considers that the reports and opinions of CREST, which are forwarded simultaneously to the Council and the Commission should in future be also forwarded simultaneously to the Parliament;

10. Calls therefore for the programme committees responsible for the specific programmes to conduct a systematic exchange of information on national activities and to arrange regular additional information and coordination meetings independently of the working meetings;

11. Calls in addition for this enhanced cooperation between the programme committees to lead to coordination between the individual programmes;

12. Calls, furthermore, for the programme committees to use this enhanced communication, information and integration function to act as advisory and initiative-taking bodies to improve CREST's coordination function;

13. Points out that the programme committees should have the right to advise the Commission, but not the right to take decisions;

14. Calls for greater support for personal meetings between scientists as a means of trans-programme coordination between the specific programmes. In the re-allocation of appropriations under the Fourth Framework Programme for Research, preference shall be given to the third and fourth actions;

15. Calls on the Member States to reconsider the principle of unanimity which applies to the Framework Programme and hence, indirectly, to potential supplementary programmes;

16. Calls on the Member States to grant Parliament the right of initiative for the Framework programmes;

17. Urges the Commission to continue strengthening its internal coordination efforts as regards RTD activities under the Fourth Framework Programme by adopting, among others, rigorous implementation and evaluation processes, and to keep the European Parliament fully informed of progress made in this area;

18. Calls on the Commission to make an inventory of the possibilities and propose a new approach towards the funding of programmes by examining and recommending the possibilities of fiscal support measures (such as investment and special depreciation allowances);

19. Calls for legislative parity between EURATOM's R& D programmes and the European Union's other specific programmes on condition that the EURATOM Treaty is incorporated in the Treaty on European Union;

20. Calls on the Commission to build on the positive examples of research coordination in the transport sector as a result of establishing priorities (such as transport safety, determining the external costs of road transport, air traffic management and tourism);

21. Expects, pursuant to Articles 130k and 130l of the EC Treaty, improved coordination to lead to the creation of supplementary programmes for the Framework Programme for Research and expects Community participation in programmes in several Member States, and calls therefore on the Commission to play an active role in this respect and to establish evaluation criteria for drawing up supplementary programmes, the contents of which go beyond the Fourth Framework Programme; believes that, as a minimum requirement, such criteria should include:

(i) a common interest and the expectation of additional benefits for the European Union,

(ii) binding cooperation agreements, which can be verified at any time, between the partners in the supplementary programmes,

(iii) research results to be available to all Member States;

22. Expects the Council, in accordance with the possibilities offered by the provisions of Article 130k of the Union Treaty, to establish the standards applicable to supplementary programmes; expects the Commission, pursuant to Article 130l, to participate with the interested Member States in the joint R& D programmes;

23. Believes that proposals for supplementary programmes concerned essentially with a sustainable, environmentally and socially compatible European model of industry should be evaluated in a particularly positive way;

24. Calls on the Commission to set up pilot projects for these supplementary programmes which in terms of substance go beyond the Fourth Framework Programme and to include in the negotiating package not only the supplementary programmes as such but also appropriate additional funding for the mobility of research workers from Member States not participating in the supplementary programmes;

25. Calls on the Commission to propose key areas for coordination through supplementary programmes in the field of precompetitive research;

26. Believes EU contributions to supplementary programmes under Articles 130k and 130l will be worth considering only if they represent a genuine coordination of national research activities and if they complement EU programmes; calls for Parliament and the Council to reach agreement on the funding and implementation of these supplementary programmes during the codecision procedure which is due to open on the refinancing of the Fourth Framework Programme;

27. Stresses that the European Science and Technology Assembly (ESTA) can make a major contribution to European research coordination and that structured links must therefore be created between ESTA and the European Commission and European Parliament;

28. Calls on the Commission to submit proposals for a European Research Foundation which would be self-governing and responsible for granting funds for basic and applied research;

29. Believes that such cooperation can be best promoted through the effective implementation of the Fourth Framework Programme, not least its third and fourth activities and its general efforts in favour of small and medium- sized enterprises;

30. Believes cooperation can be facilitated also by improving the quality of information about national and EU programmes and by promoting greater exchanges among national research representatives;

31. Calls on the Member States to enhance research policy coordination, both by jointly adopting measures to improve the infrastructure for technological innovation and by coordinating research in areas where national activities overlap or where national activities in themselves are insufficient;

32. Believes that such measures should seek to enhance the possibilities for venture capital financing, employee training and the capacity of firms to absorb new technologies, and that research areas meriting policy coordination include energy, the environment, biotechnology and information technologies;

33. Calls for the creation of a genuine European scientific exchange area:

- encouragement of mobility and training for European scientists;

- increased cooperation between European research centres;

- support for the organization of scientific conferences and seminars to ensure a large-scale exchange of information;

- the creation of a database, using the results of Community programmes in the field of education and training, focusing on technological innovation;

34. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission and the Council.