P6_TA(2005)0259

Security Research

European Parliament resolution on Security Research — The Next Steps (2004/2171(INI))

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, signed in Rome on 29 October 2004,

- having regard to the European Security Strategy entitled "A secure Europe in a better world", adopted by the European Council on 12 December 2003,

- having regard to the communication from the Commission entitled "Security Research — The Next Steps" (COM(2004)0590), and to the Commission's previous communications (COM(2003)0113 and COM(2004)0072),

- having regard to the communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament entitled "Building our common Future — Policy challenges and Budgetary means of the Enlarged Union 2007-2013" (COM(2004)0101), as well as the Commission's Communication entitled "Science and technology, the key to Europe's future — Guidelines for future European Union policy to support research" (COM(2004)0353),

- having regard to the communications from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on "The prevention of and the fight against terrorist financing through measures to improve the exchange of information, to strengthen transparency and enhance the traceability of financial transactions" (COM(2004)0700), "Preparedness and consequence management in the fight against terrorism" (COM(2004)0701) and "Prevention, preparedness and response to terrorist attacks" (COM(2004)0698),

- having regard to its resolutions of 15 May 1997 [1], 28 January 1999 [2] and 10 April 2002 [3] on European defence-related industries,

- having regard to its resolution of 30 November 2000 on the establishment of a common European security and defence policy after Cologne and Helsinki [4],

- having regard to its resolution of 10 April 2003 on the new European security and defence architecture — priorities and deficiencies [5],

- having regard to its resolution of 20 November 2003 on EU Defence Equipment Policy [6],

- having regard to the Proposal for a White Paper on European defence as presented by the EU Institute for Security Studies in May 2004,

- having regard to the report on a Human Security Doctrine for Europe as presented to the EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy on 15 September 2004,

- having regard to the report of the Group of Personalities in the field of Security Research, entitled "Research for a Secure Europe", of 15 March 2004,

- having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the opinions of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (A6-0103/2005),

A. whereas following recent geopolitical, social and technological changes and recent world events such as the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 in the USA and 11 March 2004 in Madrid, security has become a more urgent issue, and whereas the EU Member States should be better prepared to deal with new security threats through more effective use of their know-how,

B. whereas the enlargement to twenty five Member States generates new kinds of security challenges for a new Europe that now borders on more vulnerable regions,

C. whereas these new threats make use of new technologies, ignore state borders, exploit the inherent openness and transparency of modern high-technology and democratic European societies, and menace the security of Member States both from outside and inside EU territory, rendering it more difficult to distinguish between internal and external security,

D. whereas the European Union must be capable of ensuring the protection of its citizens, of contributing to the stability of the European continent and neighbouring areas and of contributing to the preservation of peace and international security in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter and the objectives of the Common Foreign and Security Policy,

E. whereas it is difficult to ensure a credible security and defence policy and a more secure Europe without technologically advanced instruments and capabilities which use state of the art technology to keep security threats to a minimum,

F. whereas, despite the EU potential regarding research and development security technologies, the lack of a specific framework for security research at EU level and the high level of fragmentation and duplication in security research systems and infrastructures generate significant obstacles to delivering cost-effective solutions,

G. whereas the total United States investment in homeland security is on average four times greater than that invested by Europe, and this investment, which does not include research into dual-use technologies funded by the US Department of Defense, is spread across a range of US departments thus representing a comprehensive approach to security research;

H. whereas the investment in research and development in the defence sector in Member States is approximately five times less than the corresponding investment in the US, increasing the risk of the EU becoming more vulnerable and dependent in this field,

I. whereas the distinction between civil and military research is becoming increasingly blurred,

J. whereas security research could play a strategic role in enhancing Europe's industrial competitiveness and in strengthening its scientific and technological base, as established by the Lisbon and Barcelona objectives,

1. Welcomes the Commission proposal for a European Security Research Programme (ESRP); stresses the need to develop a structured and efficient security research programme at Union level, in order to address current and future security challenges and clearly-defined European requirements, to enhance the security and safety of European citizens and to ensure European credibility and effectiveness in ESDP operations, while contributing to the growth and competitiveness of the European economy;

2. Considers that an efficient security research programme should be based on a coordinated reference framework, involving relevant security research stakeholders and appropriate and rationalised funding, and should be built on existing Community experience in the management of joint research programmes;

3. Underlines the public-interest nature of all aspects relating to security research, and accordingly calls for the programmes and projects in this field to be given sufficient stability and for the budgetary allocation to be linked to the trend in gross domestic product, so as to secure the greatest possible continuity over time and the best results;

The European Security Research Programme and its financing

4. Takes note of the Commission's proposal to develop the ESRP as part of the Seventh EU Research Framework Programme; underlines that the ESRP should respect the particular nature of security research, taking into account specific elements such as rules governing intellectual property rights, treatment of classified information, protection of secure information and technology transfer; stresses that the activities of the ESRP should be based on the codecision procedure;

5. Invites the Commission to take account of the fact that the Article 29 Data Protection Working Party has been established to advise the Commission on any Community measures affecting the rights and freedoms of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and privacy;

6. Encourages the Council and the Commission, in cooperation with the European Parliament, before any funding for the research is allocated, to establish clearly, within and between their respective bodies, the objectives and priorities to be pursued in the area of security research and the role to be given at each stage to the Member States and to the European agencies involved;

7. Calls on the Council and the Commission to set the priorities on the basis of the operational programming framework for the implementation of the Hague Programme on the fight against terrorism in the case of internal security and the European Security Strategy in the case of external security;

8. Recommends that the future European security research programme should include among its priorities the fight against terrorism, territorial monitoring, civil defence, control of the Union's external frontiers, and other areas in which Community action can provide added value without entering into conflict with the competences of the Member States;

9. Considers that one of the main goals of the programme should be the protection of the external borders of the Union and the protection of critical infrastructure such as trans-European networks and nuclear power plants;

10. Calls on the Commission to build on the experience gained in the first call for proposals as part of the preparatory action in order to confirm the priority areas; believes greater attention should be paid to research into public acceptance of security research and to handling of classified data in order to allow more extensive exchange of such data between Member States;

11. Shares the view that the ESRP should focus concretely but not exclusively on research activities and technological areas with common added value so as to successfully anticipate, monitor and mitigate new security challenges, such as those related to bio-terrorism, cyber-crime and any other form of modern organised crime, to feasibly accomplish EU security missions and to minimise casualties;

12. Insists that the establishment of a security research programme must be combined with comprehensive analysis on a regular basis of security-related needs, in order to define the main technological and non-technological instruments required to address the post-cold war fluctuating security landscape;

13. Advocates, in parallel to technology-driven research, a focus on the development of common modelling and threat intelligence capabilities, utilising the comparative advantages enjoyed by Member States in every given instance;

14. Points out that in some cases proposed projects will contain dual elements of security and safety, which should therefore be strongly interlinked; underlines that to require research under the ESRP to deal solely with security aspects would be counter-productive; proposes, therefore, a more integrated approach and close coordination between the ESRP and other research activities within the Seventh EU Research Framework Programme; recommends that the ESRP should make as clear as possible the distinction between military and non-military research;

15. Considers that in the Commission's Communication there is an accent on technology research; calls for a more balanced interaction between research in the natural sciences and technology and other sciences, in particular political, social and human sciences;

16. Considers that, in order to bridge the gap between research and real-life applications and to put technological advances into service in real everyday use, special and greater attention should be paid to operations research (OR), systems analysis (SA) and simulation;

17. Points out that, in order to tackle the substantial weaknesses and failures of the Member States in the fields of C4ISR systems (command, control, communications, computing, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance), greater progress in sensors systems, biotechnology, space and IT technology should be sought;

18. Notes that aerospace-related applications and services in fields such as global positioning, worldwide observation and data collection can play a crucial role and should be underlined in the ESRP;

19. Calls on the Commission to build on the report "Research for a Secure Europe" published by the Group of Personalities in the field of Security Research and on the final report of the Panel of Experts on Space and Security, to extend to national satellite initiatives the kind of cooperation and collaboration in security research that is necessary in order to maximise the capacity of civilian, military and dual-use systems and to meet the operational needs and requirements of the Union;

20. Recognises that additional and more appropriate funding will be needed for a coherent and effective security research programme; considers therefore that the funding level of EUR 1000 million per year proposed by the Group of Personalities Report could be reached by making use of funding from the Framework Research Programme as well as from alternative sources;

21. Is of the view that in parallel to such funding level the Union should rationalise and make more efficient use of existing resources and eliminate current spending fragmentation;

22. Stresses however that increased investment in security research should not result in cuts in the civil research expenditure level;

23. Calls on the Council and the Commission to study a system of balanced sharing of expenditure on additional resources to be mobilised over and above those provided for in the Community research plan, in order to ensure that the burden of the cost of research takes account of the economic weight of individual Member States, based on a percentage of GNP, and to make commitments over a multi-annual period, enabling reliable planning to take place.

Consultation and cooperation with stakeholders

24. Welcomes the suggested setting up of the European Security Research Advisory Board (ESRAB); considers that, given the current lack of a policy formulation superstructure, the need exists for clearer information on whether the Advisory Board will prove adequate and whether it will be ready to advise effectively on the content of security research and to address operational problems relating to programmes; underlines that the European Parliament should be represented in the ESRAB by five members, including the Chairmen of the responsible Committees (the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Subcommittee on Security and Defence, the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection and the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs) or their representatives;

25. Emphasises the added value of consultation and cooperation with experts from all relevant security research stakeholder groups within the ESRAB framework; urges, however, a balanced involvement of industrial representatives, research sponsors and public and private customers, scientific research bodies, public institutions and representatives of civil liberties organisations;

26. Requests that the activities and working methods of the ESRAB be clarified and monitored by the European Parliament;

27. Stresses that the setting up of the ESRAB should avoid any duplication in the security research structure;

28. Shares the view that, in order to overcome the high costs of duplication and fragmentation in the current security structures and programmes, encouragement should be given to increased and closer cooperation and coordination between European security research activities and efforts deployed by Member States, other EU research activities and other international organisations having responsibilities associated with global or regional security issues;

29. Recommends that, within the framework of transatlantic relations, European security research should entail the necessary efforts to avoid duplication and promote interoperability, while respecting the specificities of the Union research landscape in this field; emphasises nevertheless that the Union's security research budget should be used to develop EU corporate interests;

Institutional setting

30. Insists that the European Parliament should be engaged in the development of European security research activities not only by being regularly informed of progress but above all by being consulted in advance on the implementation of the planned programme;

31. Calls on the Commission to present to Parliament without delay the strategic lines of action, as well as the advice received on the principles and mechanisms of implementation, the specific proposals concerning participation, types of contracts and financing instruments for research activities within the ESRP, and the necessary arrangements on intellectual property and technology transfer worked out together with the ESRAB;

32. Invites the Commissioner responsible to report both to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy before implementation of the ESRP.

33. Insists on the need for a more coherent political and institutional framework to promote cooperation and efficient coordination between the ESRP, the new European Defence Agency (EDA) and the Union's relevant policies relating to security and defence issues;

34. Considers that the details and parameters of the new EDA activities, especially regarding security research activities and its working relations with the ESRP, should be more precisely defined;

35. Calls on the Council and the Commission to ensure an efficient and effective relationship between the ESRP and the EDA, so as to avoid any kind of duplication in the field of research and technology;

36. Calls on the Commission to take account of the notion of the "public interest" of security research, both for the European Union and the Member States, in order to avoid the risk of funding projects which are not in line with political priorities or with certain public interest or privacy protection obligations, or with the protection of human rights, civil liberties and private life; points out that transparency in the allocation of contracts is of the utmost importance;

37. Calls for optimisation of the potential synergies between defence and civil research, through integration of applications and technology transfer across both sectors; at the same time calls for a clearer definition of the specific instruments that could help tackle the particular problems of security-related research;

Management of the European Security Research Programme

38. Considers that, in order to guarantee effective management of the ESRP, experience acquired with regard to funding mechanisms, methods and institutional settings during the preparatory action should play a key role;

39. Insists that the management of the ESRP should emphasise the added value of interoperability and connectivity so as to improve cross-border cooperation, avoid unnecessary duplication and improve the coherence of the Union's efforts;

40. Vehemently advocates the development of strong common research and development infrastructures, the promotion of collaboration between laboratories on a Union-wide scale and the development of human resources in research and technology, making Europe a more attractive area for skilled researchers in this field;

41. Insists on the need to foster systematic collaboration and to explore the combined strengths of industry and the research community, with a view to increasing the European innovation ratio to the highest level in the world;

42. Considers that the ESRP should be compatible with the establishment of an open, integrated and competitive European defence market and the introduction of innovative mechanisms creating opportunities for European industry to gain a comparative advantage in world markets; points out that transparency in the allocation of contracts is of the utmost importance;

43. Stresses the benefits that a more competitive European security industry, based on the existing capacity of the defence industry and other specialised areas relating to new technology infrastructures, could provide in strengthening the economic growth and overall competitiveness of the European economy, and also stresses its positive results within society in the European Union;

44. Emphasises that EU initiatives on security research must not result in a weakening of the Union's principles and values on human rights, democratic rights, political freedoms, civil liberties and ethics;

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45. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

[1] OJ C 167, 2.6.1997, p. 137.

[2] OJ C 128, 7.5.1999, p. 86.

[3] OJ C 127 E, 29.5.2003, p. 582.

[4] OJ C 228, 13.8.2001, p. 173.

[5] OJ C 64 E, 12.3.2004, p. 599.

[6] OJ C 87 E, 7.4.2004, p. 518.

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