22.1.76 Official  Journal  of the  European  Communities No C 15/19 
background  of the  problem  of harmonizing  indirect 
taxation  as a whole.  This  should  be done  as rapidly 
as possible. 
2.1.5.  The  Committee  strongly  urges  that:  (i) the 
Council  adopt  the second  Directive,  currently  before it, without  delay;  (ii) the Commission  presents  early 
proposals  for  the  second  stage  of  fiscal 
harmonization  so that  the  Economic  and  Social 
Committee  and  European  Parliament  may  be able  to 
draw  up their  opinions  in good  time  and  the Council 
take the final  decision  before  1 July  1976. 
Done  at Brussels,  29 October  1975. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic  and  Social  Committee 
Henri  CANONGE 
Opinion  on the  proposal  from  the Commission  to the  Council  entitled  'Biology  and 
Health  Protection  Programme  — Research  Programme  1976/80' 
The text  referred  to the Committee  was  published  in Official  Journal  of the European 
Communities  No  C 222  of 29 September  1975,  page  122. 
A. LEGAL  BASIS  FOR  THE  OPINION 
On 7 August  1975,  the Council  referred  the abovementioned  proposal  to the Economic 
and Social  Committee  in accordance  with  Article  170  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 
134th  plenary  session,  held  in Brussels  on 29 and  30 October  1975. 
The full  text  of the opinion  is as follows: 
THE  ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  COMMITTEE, 
Having  regard  to the request  for an opinion  made  by 
the Council  on 7 August  1975, 
Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the 
European  Atomic  Energy  Community,  and  in 
particular  Article  170  thereof, 
Having  regard  to the decision  taken  by its Bureau  on 
23 September  1975  instructing  the Section  for Energy 
and Nuclear  Questions  to draw  up an opinion  and  a 
report  on the matter, Having  regard  to the opinion  adopted  by the Section 
for Energy  and  Nuclear  Questions  at its meeting  on 
3 October  1975, 
Having  regard  to the  oral  report  submitted  by the 
Rapporteur,  Mr Noordwal,  at this  meeting, 
Having  regard  to the discussions  at its 134th  plenary 
session  held  on 29 and  30 October  1975  (meeting  of 
29 October), 
Whereas  the development  of nuclear  energy  gives  rise 
to the  need  for  ever  closer  study  of radiation 
No C 15/20 Official  Journal  of the  European  Communities 22.1.  76 
protection  standards  for  workers  and  the  general 
public  and  of  the  biological  and  ecological 
consequences  of the nuclear  energy; 
Whereas  nuclear  techniques  and  methods  are  of 
importance  to agricultural  research, 
HAS  ADOPTED  THE  FOLLOWING  OPINION 
by a unanimous  vote: 
General  comments 
1.1. The  Community  has,  under  its  Euratom 
responsibilities,  already  carried  out  three  'indirect' 
research  programmes  in the  field  of biology  and 
health  protection  under  which  the work  is done  by 
national  research  bodies  and  coordinated  and 
financially  supported  by the Community.  The  first  of 
these  programmes  began  in 1959  and  the current  one 
expires  at the end  of 1975. 
1.2. The  Commission  is now  proposing  to follow 
up this  work  with  a fourth  indirect  research 
programme  to run from  1976  to 1980  which  will  cost 
the Community  a total  of 66-52  million  units  of 
account.  The  programme  is divided  into  two  parts: 
the first  is devoted  to the  study  of the  effects  of 
ionizing  radiations  on man  and  the environment,  the 
second  is to study  the  possible  use  of nuclear 
techniques  in agriculture. 
1.3. The  Committee,  which  was  not  consulted  on 
the three  earlier  programmes,  welcomes  the 
opportunity  of commenting  on the  Commission's 
proposals  in this  field  for  the  first  time.  It did, 
however,  examine  the second  of these  programmes  in 
an information  report  dated  31 October  1962.  More 
recently,  it has  in  its  opinion  (*), repeatedly 
emphasized  the  need  for  continued  close  research 
into the effects  of ionizing  radiation  and  the need  for 
constant  review  of the  adequacy  of  radiation 
protection  standards  for  workers  and  the  general 
public  and  of measures  to protect  the environment.  It 
therefore  welcomes  and  supports  the  Commission's 
present  proposal. 
1.4. Such  matters  are extremely  important  — for 
example,  from  the point  of view  of the firm  budget 
commitments  which  the  Community  must  make  — 
since  the  increasing  use  of nuclear  energy  poses problems  which  are  different  from  those  connected 
with  the operation  of prototypes.  Research  into  ways 
of providing  greater  protection  for workers  and  the 
general  public  is absolutely  vital  if nuclear  energy  is 
to be used  at all and  will  become  even  more  so as 
such  use increases. 
1.5. On  the  part  of the  programme  devoted  to 
radiation  protection,  the Committee  believes  that  the 
five main  areas  selected  for  research  by  the 
Commission,  namely: 
— radionuclide  behaviour  and  irradiation  levels, 
— hereditary  effects, 
— short-term  effects, 
— late-developing  effects, 
— dosimetry, 
are, broadly  speaking,  those  which  respond  closest  to 
the requirements  and  preoccupations,  both  of those 
who are  working  in the  nuclear  industry  and  the 
general  public. 
1.6. The  Committee  would  have  liked  the  report 
to have  given  more  information  on work  in the field 
of health  protection  in the individual  Member  States. 
This  would  have  allowed  a better  assessment  of the 
programme  proposed  by the Commission.  Given  the 
importance  of  this  programme  for  further 
development  of nuclear  energy,  the  Committee 
approved  the proposed  financial  and  staff  outlay  and 
recognizes  that  the slight  cutback  on staff  in relation 
to the preceding  programme  is purely  of a technical 
nature.  The  Committee  believes,  however,  that 
greater  pains  must  be taken  to stress  that  this  cutback 
in no way  implies  any  weakening  of the Community's 
commitment  to the joint  study  of the very  important 
issues  in this  field. 
1.7. The  Committee  would  emphasize  in particular 
the importance  of research  into  the  effects  of the 
planned  speeded-up  expansion  of  nuclear 
installations.  The  Committee  accords  high  priority  to 
such  research  and  proposes  that  it should  take 
precedence  over  other  research,  which  should  if 
necessary  be postponed.  The  Committee  also  stresses 
the importance  of research  into  the  health  and 
ecological  problems  associated  with  the  use  and 
processing  of transuranium  elements,  and  of all 
research  relating  to the  use  of tritium,  krypton  and 
iodine. 
H OJ  No C 116,  30. 9. 1974,  p. 26. 1.8. The  Committee  would  also  welcome  it, if in 
addition  to the present  scientific  reports  the findings 
22.1.76 Official  Journal  of the  European  Communities No C 15/21 
of research  to date  on biology  and  health  protection 
could  be condensed  into  a comprehensible  form  and 
disseminated  more  widely.  This  seems  necessary  in 
order  to bring  home  to the  general  public  in the 
Community  that  the basic  Community  standards  on 
which  the  individual  Member  States'  legislation  for 
radiation  protection  are  based,  provide  adequate 
protection  against  the dangers  of ionizing  radiations. 
It would  therefore  welcome  if the Council  would,  as 
it has  already  done  at the Committee's  request  in its 
resolution  of 22  July  1975  on the  technological 
problems  of nuclear  safety  (*) make  the  necessary 
minor  additions  to the  proposed  programme  'to 
ensure  that  the  public  is given  the  best  possible 
information  about  both  national  and  Community 
action  in the field  of nuclear  safety'. 
1.9. Just  as one  of the  aims  of the  Community's 
work  is to foster  cooperation  and  avoid  unnecessary 
(*) OJ No C 185,  14. 8. 1975,  p. 1. duplication,  so  too  is it important  that  the 
Community  plays  an active  part  in international 
cooperation  at all levels,  through  bodies  such  as the 
United  Nations'  Scientific  Committee  on Effects  of 
Atomic  Radiations  (UNSCEAR),  the  International 
Atomic  Energy  Agency  (IAEA),  the  World  Health 
Organization  (WHO),  the  Food  and  Agricultural 
Organization  (FAO),  the  International  Commission 
on Radiological  Protection  • (1CRP)  and  the 
International  Commission  on Radiation  Units  and 
Measurements  (1CRU). 
1.10.  The  Committee  equally  endorses  the second 
part of the programme  dealing  with  the possible  use 
of nuclear  techniques  in agriculture.  It believes  that 
realization  of these  techniques  would  offer  significant 
specific  benefits  to  the  agricultural  sector  in 
controlling  noxious  insects,  in improving  crop 
species,  in optimizing  crop  yields  and  quality  and  in 
raising  efficiency  in  beef  production.  These 
techniques  would  meet  both  the  objectives  of 
maximizing  the  efficiency  of food  production  and 
that of minimizing  the  use  of pesticides,  antibiotics 
and other  products  of questionable  effect  on human 
health. 
Done  at Brussels,  29 October  1975. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic  and  Social  Committee 
Henri  CANONGE 
Opinion  on the  communication  and  proposals  from  the Commission  to the  Council 
entitled  'Towards  a New  Energy  Policy  Strategy  for the European  Community' 
The text  referred  to the Committee  has  not yet been  published  in the Official  Journal 
of the European  Communities. 
A. LEGAL  BASIS  FOR  THE  OPINION 
In accordance  with  the  third  paragraph  of Article  20 of the  Rules  of Procedure,  the 
Bureau  of the Committee  decided  on 29 October  1974  to deliver  an additional  opinion 
on the abovementioned  communication.