19. 12. 83 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 341/27 
— Will it be possible to include in the contracts 
signed with universities and research institu­
tions a clause to ensure a proper dissemination 
of research findings? 
3. Specific comments on the Annex 
Research actions 
Point 1.1 
The Committee welcomes the proposal to extend to 
pharmaceutical and fine chemicals industries 
second generation bioreactor technology. This is the 
only instance of the scientific scope of the first stage 
of the programme being extended. It has been 
included because a number of breakthroughs have 
already been made and industry has shown consi­
derable interest. The area therefore represents a logi­
cal development. Point 1.3 
The Committee believes that this point should be 
expressed in more general terms. The main aim of 
the research programme which the Community is to 
finance is to convert simple agricultural products 
into sugar and starch, even though the latter are in 
surplus in the Community. At the same time other 
higher-grade products such as oils and fats are in 
short supply and have to be imported. A programme 
should be set up for using biomolecular engineering 
to convert other crops into higher-grade products. 
Point 1.4 
The Committee notes the stress on agriculture 
throughout the programme. It emphasizes the 
importance of biomolecular engineering to industry 
as well as agriculture and would therefore add the 
words 'and industry' at the end of the first sentence. 
Done at Brussels, 28 September 1983. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Francis CEYRAC 
Opinion on the proposal for a Council Decision adopting a research and development 
programme in the field of non-nuclear energy (1983 to 1987) 
The text referred to the Committee has been published in Official Journal of the Euro­
pean Communities No C 218 of 13 August 1983, 
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION 
On 6 July 1983 the Council referred the abovementioned proposal to the Economic 
and Social Committee in accordance with Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the 
European Economic Community. 
B. OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 
The Economic and Social Committee prepared its opinion on the above matter at its 
210th plenary session held in Brussels on 28 and 29 September 1983. 
The full text of the opinion is as follows: 
No C 341/28 Official Journal of the European Communities 19. 12. 83 
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the Euro­
pean Economic Community, in particular 
Article 198 thereof, 
Having regard to the request by the Council of the 
European Communities on 6 July 1983 for an opi­
nion on the proposal for a Council Decision adopt­
ing a research and development programme in the 
field of non-nuclear energy (1983 to 1987) ('), 
Having regard to its decision of 28 September 1983 
to appoint Mr Roseingrave as rapporteur-general, 
Having regard to the oral report made by the rap­
porteur-general, Mr Roseingrave, 
Having regard to the discussions on 28 September 
1983 during the 210th plenary session held on 28 
and 29 September 1983, 
HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING OPINION 
by a large majority with two abstentions: 
1. General 
1.1. The Economic and Social Committee wel­
comes this proposal for a research and development 
programme in the field of non-nuclear energy (1983 
to 1987). The programme, while seeking to continue 
the development in research and development in 
non-nuclear matters now proposes to move into 
more important but more costly pilot scale experi­
ments and also -to enlarge the scope of the work by 
the introduction of substantial activities in areas 
only previously covered under the near-term ECSC 
programme, namely solid fuels and new energy car­
riers. 
1.2. The Committee endorses the motivations of 
the programme proposal. It draws special attention 
to the aim of making appropriate energy supply and 
utilization of technologies available to meet the 
needs of regional development within the Com­
munity. 
1.3. The Committee is satisfied that the proposal 
falls within the scope and priorities of the frame­
work programme for Community scientific and 
technical activities (1984 to 1987), which has been approved unanimously by the Economic and Social 
Committee (2). The Committee is also satisfied that 
the proposal conforms to the goals of the framework 
programme, especially that which seeks to improve 
the management of energy sources. 
1.4. The global sums indicated in the budgetary 
provisions of the proposal (226 million ECU for 
renewable energies and 192 million ECU for use of 
energy) fall within the budget targets set out in the 
framework programme of 310 million ECU and 520 
million ECU respectively which were considered 
necessary to reach the necessary threshold of effec­
tiveness at Community level so as to promote indus­
trial competitiveness, agricultural productivity and 
essential aid to developing countries. 
The Committee therefore approves the proposal, 
subject to the following specific comments. 
2. Specific comments 
2.1. The Committee feels that the proposal should 
have contained a short outline history and a sum­
mary of the last programmes. While three of the 
sub-programmes are new or practically new, work 
on the remaining seven has been in progress for sev­
eral years under previous Council programmes. It is 
here that a short account of progress to date would 
have been helpful together with the Commission's 
assessment of the degrees of success already 
achieved as a back-up to its arguments for a contin­
uation of the work. 
2.2. The proposed doubling of funding on research 
and development in non-nuclear energy brings 
expenditure in this area up to a significant propor­
tion of the total Community research budget. It 
therefore becomes essential, especially in the light of 
the Community's present budgetary difficulties, that 
each item within each of the sub-programmes be 
closely scrutinized to ensure that work is undertaken 
only where there is a reasonable chance of success 
and only where the fruits of success will make a sig­
nificant contribution to the Community's energy 
objectives. 
2.3. The degree of priority attached and the alloca­
tion of funds made to each project within the sub-
programmes will remain matters of judgment by the 
Commission, and the Committee notes that the con­
text and size of the sub-programmes will be closely 
and continuously evaluated in the course of their 
implementation. 
(') OJ No C 218, 13. 8. 1983, p. 4. (2) OJ No C 211, 8. 8. 1983, p. 28. 
19. 12.83 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 341/29 
2.4. The decision to cease work on a particular 
research project can often be a difficult one and the 
Committee is encouraged by the Commission's 
decision to terminate work on the production and 
use of hydrogen now that it is satisfied that a suffi­
cient level of knowledge has been attained in the 
long term field. 
2.5. Recognizing the present primary role being 
played by photovoltaic power generation as indi­
cated in the proposal, its important possibilities of 
commercial viability and the potential opportunities 
for the industrial manufacture of equipment for 
energy extraction from solar radiation, the Com­
mittee feels that even a greater proportion of the 
financial resources of the solar energy sub-pro­
gramme might have been allocated to photovoltaics. 
2.6. The Committee notes the Commission's assur­
ance that there is no overlap in the biomass sub-pro­
gramme and the agricultural research programme. 
The sub-programme concentrates on the use of 
biomass, not its production. 
2.7. The Committee queries the wisdom of devel­
oping advanced multi-megawatt wind energy mach­
ines when success elsewhere with such machines has 
been minimal. It would prefer to see greater finan­
cial support being provided for the improvement of 
small and medium-sized machines on which signifi­
cant success has already been achieved in Europe. 
2.8. The Committee believes that a special effort is 
required for the training of technologists in the field 
of geothermal energy. 
2.9. The Committee notes with regret the absence 
of wave energy from the sub-programmes. It 
believes that this is an area where the Commission 
should carefully consider the Community's role in 
medium and long-term development in an energy-
field which holds much promise despite the risk that 
development may be held back because of the heavy 
investment costs in early years. The Committee 
would recommend that the Commission reconsider 
Done at Brussels, 28 September 1983. a wave-energy sub-programme when the research 
action programme is being reviewed in the second 
half of 1985. 
2.10. The Committee reiterates the view expressed 
in its opinion on the role for coal (May 1982) (') in 
which it stated that there was undoubtedly a need 
for further research on basic principles and pro­
cesses in the liquefaction and gasification of solid 
fuels but nevertheless pointed out that the prospects 
for the economically viable conversion of solid fuel 
into liquid and gaseous products remain uncertain. 
2.11. The Committee notes that in the framework 
programme the importance of legal, social and envi­
ronmental factors as barriers to the market penetra­
tion of the renewable energies is clearly recognized. 
The present proposal accords no such recognition. 
The Committee stresses that in accordance with ear­
lier opinions on like topics, regard must be had to 
the socio-cultural milieu into which new technolo­
gies are introduced if the full potential of the inno­
vations is to be achieved. 
2.12. The Committee recommends that in the 
implementation of the sub-programmes the Com­
mission will have due regard likewise to local fea­
tures in the development of the various technologies 
and to seek to develop appropriate local infrastruc­
tures so as to exploit the use of local energy 
resources, especially in the immediate localities. 
2.13. Some doubt is expressed as to whether one 
CGC would be able to manage the whole pro­
gramme as well as the previous ACPM's would have 
done. It may well be that sub-GCG's might have to 
be created. 
2.14. The Committee notes the Commission's pro­
posals for the diffusion of information concerning 
the results of the programme. It is particularly 
appreciative of the policy of independent evaluation 
reviews of the performance and achievements of the 
programme. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Fran?ois CEYRAC 
(') OJ No C 205, 9. 8. 1982, p. 3.