NoC34/90 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 2.2,94
Opinionon:
■—theproposalforaCouncilDecisionconcerningtheFourthFrameworkProgrammeof
theEuropeanEconomicCommunityactivitiesinthefieldofresearch,technological
developmentanddemonstration (1994-199B),and
—theproposalforaCouncilDecisionconcerningaFrameworkProgrammeofCommunity
activitiesinthefieldofresearchandtrainingfortheEuropeanAtomicEnergyCommunity
(1994-1998)(!)
(94/C34/25)
On13July1993theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,under
Article130Q(2)oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunityandArticle
170oftheEuratomTreaty,ontheabovementioned proposals.
TheSectionforEnergy,NuclearQuestionsandResearch,whichwasresponsibleforpreparing
theCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon28October1993.The
RapporteurswereMrRoseingrave (2)andMrvonderDecken(2).
Atits310thPlenarySession(meetingof25November1993)theEconomicandSocial
Committeeadopted,withtwoabstentions,thefollowingOpinion.
1.3,Thisprinciple(whichtheCommitteeendorsed
intheabovementioned Opinion)wasintroducedto
ensurethenecessarycontinuityofresearchworkandto
adjustprioritiesinthelightofexperienceandchanging
needs.TheCommitteesupportsthetwoproposalsand
endorsestheapproachadoptedbytheCommission .
TheseproposalsareconsonantwithpreviousCom­
mitteeOpinionsand,inparticular,itsOwn-initiative
OpinionontheFourthFrameworkProgrammeofCom­
munityactivitiesinthefieldofresearchandtechnologi­
caldevelopment (1994-1998)of26May1993(3).
ThisOpinionwilldiscusstheCommissionstrategy
andwillcommentonthespecificcontentofthetwo
proposals.1.4.Underthisprinciple,thefinancingofthethird
programmewastobewounddownin1993-1994,and
afourthprogrammewastobedecidedfor1993-1997.
TheCommissionwasinitiallyduetopresentitspro­
posalonthisinSeptember1992.
1.Introduction 1.5.Variousfactorscombinedtocallthisscenario
intoquestion:theabsenceofaCommunityfinancial
frameworkfortheperiodbeginning1993,anddelays
intheentryintoforceoftheTreatyonEuropean
Union(theMaastrichtTreaty),whichlaysdowna
newdecision-making processfortheadoptionofthe
FrameworkProgramme (the'co-decision'procedure).1.1.TheThirdFrameworkProgrammeofCom­
munityactivitiesinthefieldofresearchandtechnologi­
caldevelopment ,coveringtheperiod1990-1994,was
adoptedbyCouncildecisionof23April1990(4)with
afinancialallocationofECU5,700million.TheCom­
mitteeissuedanOpiniononthecorresponding Com­
missionproposalon15November1989(5).
1.2.InadoptingtheThirdFrameworkProgramme,
whichlinkedinwiththesecondprogrammespanning
1987-1991,theCounciltookonboardtheprincipleof
a'rollingprogramme'ofCommunityRTDactivity,
wherebytwoconsecutiveprogrammesoverlapbyone
ortwoyears.1.6.TomaintainthemomentumofCommunity
researchactivitiesandensurecontinuityduringthetwo
years1993-1994,asupplementary financingofthethird
FrameworkProgrammewasdecidedbyCouncilon
23April1993(6)settingthetotalappropriationatECU
6,600million.
1,7.TheEuropeanCouncilinEdinburghon11and
12December1992reachedagreementonthefuture
financingoftheCommunityandafinancialframework (})OJNoC230,26.8.1993,p.4-35.
(2)TheRapporteur'sexpertwasMrConorWard,Emeritus
ProfessorofSocialScience,UniversityCollege,Dublin.
(3)OJNoC201,26.7.1993,p.36.
(4)OJNoL117,8.5.1990,p.28.
(5)OJNoC56,7.3.1990,p.34. (6)OJNoL69,20,3.1993,p.43.

2.2.94 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC34/91
2,6,TheExplanatoryMemorandum ,followingthe
provisionsoftheMaastrichtTreaty,recallsthatallthe
RTDactivitiescoveredbytheTreatyaretobeincluded
intheframeworkprogramme,aswillallRTDactivities
relatingdirectlytotheimplementation ofthecommon
policiesoftheCommunity ,TheCommitteeemphasizes
thatallofthecommonpoliciesshouldbeincluded
ratherthanthe'majorcommonpolicies',whichisthe
phraseusedinparagraph4oftheExplanatoryMemor­
andum.for1993-1999,includingperspectivesforRTDspending
overthesameperiod.
1.8.BuildingontheworkingdocumentsofOctober
1992,COM(92)406final,andofApril1993,COM(93)
158final,thepresentproposaltakesaccountof:
—theEdinburghconclusions ;
—developments intheworldcontext;
—commentsandopinionsconcerningthefirstwork­
ingdocument;
—commentsandopinionsconcerningthesecond
workingdocument .
Inordertoaccelerateinterinstitutional deliberations on
theFourthFrameworkProgramme (politicalagree­
ment)andensurethecontinuationoftheCommunity's
RTDeffort,theCommission'sproposalisbasedlegally
ontheSingleEuropeanActwithfootnotesindicating
thetextswhichwilltakeeffectontheentryintoforce
oftheMaastrichtTreaty.TheproposalontheEURA­
TOMFrameworkProgrammeispresentedinparallel
inordertoensurethecoherenceofallCommunity
RTDactivitiesandthisproposalisbasedontheEAEC
Treaty.2.7.Thestrategicroleofgenerictechnologiesin
theindustrialeconomyisanimportantfeatureofthe
FrameworkProgramme,asenvisagedintheproposal.
2.8.TheCommitteewelcomestheCommission's
proposaltohaveaCommitteefortheEvaluationof
theResearchFrameworkProgrammeandregardsas
importantthattheexperienceofresearchers,otherper­
sonsandsocialgroupsinvolvedinresearchprogrammes
andaffectedbyRTDactivitiesbetakenintoaccount.
ItisofgreatimportancefortheEvaluationCommittee's
membershiptoreflecttheexperienceofresearchwork­
ersinvariousfields(universities,publicandprivate
researchcentresandindustry).
2.9.Theproposedfocusonprecompetitive research
intotechnologieswithamultisectoralimpactandon
themesofinteresttosocietyingeneral(paragraph7)
reflectstheMaastrichtdecisions.TheCommittee
emphasizesthefactthatstrengtheningthecompetitive
positionofECindustryandtheimprovementofthe
qualityoflifeofthecitizensofEuropeshouldbe
theclosely-linked andinterdependent objectivesofthe
FourthFrameworkProgramme .
2.10.InitsOpinionontheThirdFrameworkPro­
grammetheCommitteerecommended closercoordi­
nationwithand'morefrequentconsideration of
EUREKAintheutilizationplanwhichshould
accompanyprogrammeproposals'(paragraph12.3),
AlreadyinitsOpinionontheSecondFrameworkPro­
grammetheCommitteedrewattentiontotheimport­
anceofregardingEurekaandtheFrameworkPro­
grammeRTDactivitiesascomplementary .2.TheBroadLinesoftheCommunity'sResearch,
Technological Development andDemonstration
PolicyasoutlinedintheExplanatoryMemorandum
2.1.ThefirstmajorsectionoftheCommission's
ExplanatoryMemorandum isentitled'BroadLinesof
theCommunity'sResearchTechnological Development
andDemonstration Policy'.
2.2.TheCommitteeendorsestheobjectiveofmov­
ingfromapatchworkofseparateRTDanddemon­
strationactivitiestoafullyfledgedCommunitypolicy.
2.3.TheCommission 'scontentionthattheFourth
FrameworkProgrammemustbeallocatedsufficient
financialresourcestomaintainasustainedeffortat
CommunitylevelisinaccordancewiththeCommittee's
previouslystatedviews.
2.4.TheCommitteestronglysupportstheemphasis
oncoordinationbetweentheRTDpolicyoftheMem­
berStatesandCommunityRTDpolicy,soastoensure,
inaccordancewiththeprincipleofsubsidiarity ,that
nationalandCommunityRTDpoliciesareconsistent
witheachother.
2.5.TheCommitteenevertheless believesthatitwill
beessentialthatthebureaucracyinevitablyassociated
withthewide-rangingresponsibilities forcoordination
iskeptunderthestrictestcontrol,ifinnovationand
initiativearenottobeaffectedadversely.It,therefore,favourstheplannedefforttostrengthen
thesynergybetweenEurekaandCommunityresearch,
andwouldhopethattheCommission ,asamemberof
Eureka,willcontributeactivelytothatobjective.
2,11,TheCommission'sproposalsfornewnetworks
andconsortia(paragraph10andAnnexIII)areclear
andvaluableinrelationtoConcertationNetworks,but
furtherelaborationoftheotherproposedactivitiesis
desirable.

NoC34/92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 2.2,94
willbeinoperationwiththeminimumofdelayinview
oftheutmostimportanceofitsobjectiveofstrengthen­
ingthecompetitivepositionoftheCommunityindustry
attheinternational level.Itisunfortunatethatthe
complexandtime-consuming proceduresagreedat
MaastrichtfordecidingfutureRTDframeworkpro­
grammesappearlikelytodelaytheentryintoactionof
theactivitiesplannedunderthisprogrammeaswellas
futureprogrammes .2.12.TheCommitteeendorsestheaimofstrengthen­
ingsynergybetweenRTDpolicyandstructuralpolicies
(paragraph11).AstheCommissionpointsoutthis
synergywillcontributetowardsatruepolicyof
cohesion.Cohesionandcompetitivityarenotexclusive
butcomplementary asitwasconcludedintheCom­
municationentitled'ResearchafterMaastricht'(para­
graph111),particularlyinrelationtothehuman
resourcesofthelessadvancedareas.Thedevelopment
ofresearchinfrastructures intheseareasshouldalsobe
animportantfocus.
2.13.TheCommission'semphasisonthedecisive
roleplayedbySMEsintheeconomicdevelopment
oftheCommunityasawhole(paragraph11)isin
accordancewiththeCommittee'sstatedviews.The
improvement ofSME'saccesstoCommunitypro­
grammes,towhichtheCommissionrefers,isparticu­
larlyimportant.Specialattentionshouldbegivento
twofactorswhichimpedeSMEs'accesstoresearch
supportviz.lackofcapacitytodesignaresearchpro­
grammerespondingtoamarketproblemandinad­
equatestaffandfinancialresourcestocarryoutresearch
andensurethedevelopmentoftheresearchresults.The
specialsupportforSMEsunderthethirdactivityofthe
proposedFourthFrameworkProgrammeisextremely
important.TheexperienceoftheCRAFTsub-pro­
gramme,carriedoutundertheBrite/Eurampro­
gramme(*),isclearlyrelevant.3.2.SuchdelayscouldplaceCommunityRTDactivi­
tiesataseriousdisadvantagetointernationalcompeti­
torsabletomovemorequicklyindevelopingtheirown
RTDprogrammes .Thisisamatterofconsiderable
concern.TheCommitteebelievesthatitwouldbehigh­
lydesirabletointroducemuchquicker,aswellasmore
flexible,proceduresfordeterminingCommunityRTD,
attheearliestpracticableopportunity .
3.3.TheapproachadoptedbytheCommissionto
expeditethetranslationoftheproposalisappropriate
underthecircumstances .Thedecision-making time­
tableofparagraph17shouldbeadheredto,ifatall
possible.
4.Financialaspects
4.1.Inthelightofthefinancialperspectivessetout
initsCommunication of10March1992on'TheCom'
munity'sfinancesbetweennowand1997'[COM(92)
2001final],theCommissioninitiallyproposedallocat­
ingECU14,700millionfortheimplementation ofthe
FourthFrameworkProgramme1994-1998.2.14.TheCommitteeendorsestheCommission's
emphasisonthesynergybetweenresearchandtraining
(paragraph12).Theintentiontopromotethemobility
ofresearchersandstimulatethecreationofnetworks
asanimportantaspectofeachofthetopicswithinthe
firstactivity,aswellasinthefourthactivity,isvery
desirable.Thespecialpromotionofcohesioninthe
ThirdFrameworkProgramme'sHumanCapitaland
MobilityProgramme (2)shouldagainbeemphasized .
2.15.TheCommitteehas,inanumberofOpinions,
advocatedameasureofflexibilityandtheneedforan
abilitytorespondrapidlytodevelopments inscience,
technologyandindustry,towhichtheCommission
givesattentioninparagraph13oftheExplanatory
Memorandum .TheCommittee'sOpinionsalso
emphasizethattherapidresponseshouldalsobeto
developments intheneedsofthecitizensofEuropeand
tothreatstotheirqualityoflife.4.2.AsaresultofthedecisionstakenbytheEuro­
peanCouncilinEdinburgh,includingthefinancial
frameworkfor1993-1999,theCommissionhasnowset
thebudgetfortheFourthProgrammeatECU13,100
million.Thisfigure,whichfirstappearedinthesecond
WorkingDocumentadoptedbytheCommissionon
21Aprillast[COM(93)158final],represents62%of
thetotalfundsearmarkedfor'InternalPolicies'.
3.Theoveralllegislativeprogramme
3.1.TheCommitteehopesthattheFourthFrame­
workProgrammewillmaintainthemomentumachiev­
edbytheearlierframeworkprogrammesandthatit4.3.TheCommitteepointsoutthattheFourth
FrameworkProgrammewillincludeactivitieswhich
havehithertobeencarriedoutandfinancedoutsidethe
FrameworkProgramme,forexampledemonstration
projectsandso-calledAPASmeasures('Actionsde
Preparation,d'Accompagnement etdeSuivi').The
TreatyonEuropeanUnionalsoprovidesforallresearch
activitiescarriedoutinsupportofthecommonpoliciesí1)OJNoL375,31.12.1991,p.18.
(2)OJNoL107,24.4.1992,p.1.

2.2.94 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC34/93
7.3.Workandemploymentconstituteoneofthe
basesofourmodeofliving.Inadditiontobeingcon­
cernedaboutthereductioninopportunitiestowork,
ECresearchplanningshouldproposetostudythepro­
cessofchangeinthisrespectinoursocietyandalsoits
implications .oftheCommunitytobeincludedintheFramework
Programme,thusalsoextendingitsscope.
4.4.Bearingthisinmind,theCommitteeisofthe
viewthattheoverallamountproposeddoesnotrep­
resentanincreaseinrealtermsinCommunityRTD
funding.
4,5,TheCommissionseesitsproposalsaspartofthe
efforttorelauncheconomicgrowthandemploymentin
theCommunity .Aboveallforthisreason,theCom­
mitteeregardsthefigureproposedasdisappointing
and,inthelightofthepresenteconomicandsocial
situation,asveryinadequate .7.4.Whatistechnologically possibleandeconomi­
callydesirableintermsofahigherstandardofliving
forsomemaynotultimatelybesociallyandculturally
acceptable.Thenowall-embracingFrameworkPro­
grammeshouldincluderesearchaimedatexploring
waysofreconcilingthetwoobjectives,achievingcom­
petitivityinworldmarketsandachievinganacceptable
qualityoflifeforthecitizensofEurope.TheCommittee
believesthatresearchanddevelopmentaimedat
improvingthecompetitivityoftheeconomic-industrial ­
employmentsystemoftheCommunityisneeded,for
exampleonadaptationandreconversionofexisting
manufacturing plants,instrumentsofproductionand
theirpotentialformaintainingemploymentwhile
achievingcompetitivity .Particularattentionmustbe
giventoimplementing simultaneous technicaland
organizational adjustments .Tothisend,modelprojects
shouldbeencouraged;theyshouldhelptosupportthe
transferofresearchfindingstouser-orientedpro­
duction.5.TheAnnextotheExplanatoryMemorandum :sub­
sidiarityoftheProposalfortheFourthFramework
Programme
5.1.Theprincipleofsubsidiarityhasbeendeveloped
andrefinedovertheyears.TheCommitteeregardsit
asimportantthatbothrestrictiveanddevelopmental
implicationsoftheprinciplebeaffirmed.Responsi­
bilitiesandactivitiesshouldbeundertakenatthemost
decentralizedlevelconsistentwiththeireffectiveper­
formance,ThisconceptisaffirmedbytheMaastricht
TreatyunderArticle3b.Equally,wheresatisfactory
performanceexceedsthecompetenceandresourcesof
anylevel,theresponsibilityshouldbetransferredtothe
firstgreatersocialaggregatewhichhassuchcom­
petence.Thislatterpositiveaspectoftheprincipleof
subsidiarityappearstobewhatisinmindintherefer­
encetoreasonsofscaleinArticle3boftheMaastricht
Treaty,wheredeficitsinresearchresourcesatthelower
levelofregionsofMemberStatescouldbesuppliedat
thehigherleveloftheCommunity .7.5.Theremainderoftheintroductorypartofthe
relevantAnnexreflectstheCommission'spositionas
developedintheExplanatoryMemorandum ,whichhas
beenthesubjectofcommentabove.
7.6.Thefirstactivity:Implementation ofresearch,
technological developmentanddemonstration
programmes,bypromotingcooperationwithand
betweenundertakings ,researchcentresanduni­
versities
6.SelectioncriteriaforCommunityactivities
6.1.TheapproachproposedbytheCommissionin
AnnexIIisconsonantwiththerelatedviewsofthe
CommitteeexpressedinitsOwn-initiative Opinion.7.6.1.Thenewpresentationofthecontentofthe
activitiestobeconductedwithgreaterfocusandfewer
sub-divisions isinaccordancewiththeCommittee's
views.
7.6.2.TheCommittee'sprioritycriteriaforRTDcan
beexpressedasfollows: 7.Scientificandtechnologicalobjectives
7.6.2.1.TheCommitteewouldaskthatprioritybe
giventoresearchwhichleadstoindustrialapplications .7.1.The'seriesofobjectivesinthepublicinterest'
whichhavebeenidentifiedforthepurposesofselecting
theCommunity'sRTDactivities(onthefirstpageof
therelevantAnnex)areincontrovertible andhighly
desirable,butincomplete,intheviewoftheCommittee .
7.2.Workandemploymentisacentralconcernof
theCommitteeandhasnotbeengivensufficient
emphasis.7.6.2.2.PositivecriteriaforareasofRTDinclude
researchlikelytogenerateapositivecycleofemploy­
ment;researchwhichfosterscoordinationwithSMEs;
researchwhichconsolidatesEuropeanexperienceand
expertise;researchwhichwillprovideemploymentfor
youngresearchers .

NoC34/94 OfficialjournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 2.2,94
7.6,6.TheproposedresearchactivitiesunderLife
SciencesandTechnologiesareveryclosetotheCom­
mittee'sprioritiesandsuggestions .7.6.2.3.Separatelyfromthesecriteriaarethose
whichderivefromtheneedtoconcentrateresources
onRTDinsupportofthecommonpoliciesofthe
Communityandthesatisfactionofsociety'sneeds.
7,6,2.4,Inevaluatingproposalsforresearchactivi­
ties,thereshouldbeemphasisonensuringthatthe
researchisintheinterestoftheCommunityandis
ultimatelyorientedtowardsemploymentwithinthe
Community .7.6.6.1.TheCommitteeagreeswiththeview
expressedintheintroductiontothatthemethat:
'Nowthatlifesciencesandtechnologieshaveclearly
demonstrated theirsocietalrole,amoreprecise
visionmustbedevelopedofwhereandhowman­
kindshouldarrangeitswayoflifeforthegreatest
socialandeconomiccommongood.'
7.6.3.TheInformationandCommunications Tech­
nologiesthemeappearstoreflectmuchmorethanhith­
ertotheviewsexpressedbytheCommitteeinitspre­
viousOpinionsontheframeworkprogrammes .The
Committeeapprovesofthecontentofthistheme.Howmeetingthisneedwillbeapproachedthrough
researchisnotsubsequentlydeveloped,unfortunately .
Inviewoftheacknowledged centralimportanceofthe
needforamoreprecisevisionthisdeficiencyshouldbe
redressed.Aparticularlyweakpointistheabsenceof
provisionforsufficientinformationforthepublic.7.6.4.TheCommitteecommendsthebroadenedper­
spectivesinthepresentationofresearchactivitiesunder
IndustrialTechnologiesandsomerephrasingwhichit
favouredinitsOpinions,forexample,multidisciplinary
approaches,emphasisoninterfacingratherthanimpact
inman-machinery relationships ,andconcentration on
speedtomarket.ThespecialattentiontoSMEsisalso
verysatisfactory .7.6.7.Theresearchactivitieswhichareproposed
underthisthemeareveryimportant,particularlyin
theiremphasisonintegrationofdisciplinesandresearch
inrelationtothecommonpoliciesoftheCommunity .
7.6.7.1.TheCommitteedoesnotunderstandwhy
theFirstActivitylaiddowndoesnotincludecardio­
vasculardiseasesandageingdisorders—mentioned
intheintroduction .Itconsidersthattheseshouldbe
insertedafterthereferencetoAIDS,aspriorityareas
forresearchactivities.7.6.4.1.TheCommitteeisoftheviewthatthrough
furtherresearchabetterunderstanding oftheinterface
betweenthehumanandthetechnological canbe
achievedandthefoundationslaidfornewwaysof
interlinkingorganization ,workandtechnology .This
willboostfirms'innovativecapacity,facilitateprogress
intheuseofinformationandcommunication technol­
ogiesandeventuallybringaboutamoreproductiveuse
ofindustrialtechnologies .Itwillmakeforamore
effectiveorganizationofactiontakeninsupportofthe
Community'scommonpolicies.7.6.8.TheCommitteeendorsestheaimsofCom­
munityresearchactivitiesundertheactionheading
'Energy',ItagreeswiththeCommissionthatenergy
policy,oneofwhosetaskistoguaranteesecurityof
supply,isnowfacedwiththenewchallengeofreconcil­
ingenergyandenvironmental needs.Itisaquestion
hereofrealizing,throughtheintegrationofR&Dand
demonstration ,themainaimsoftheCommunitywith
regardtoenergyproductionandsupply,namelyadur­
able,environmentally andsociallyacceptabledevelop­
ment,combinedwithcompetitiveness .7.6.4.2.Theproposaldoesnotyet,however,appear
toadequatelyrepresenttheMaastrichtTreatyprovision
thattheFrameworkProgrammeshouldincludeRTD
Activitiesrelatingdirectlytotheimplementation ofthe
commonpoliciesoftheCommunity .
7.6.5.Theproposedresearchactivitiesunder
Environmentgoaverylongwaytowardsmeetingthe
criticismsmadepreviouslybytheCommittee .However,
insufficientattentionisgiventofreshwatersupply,
whichwillbeamajorconcerninthefuture.7.6.8.1.Communityeffortsonresearch,technologi­
caldevelopment ,demonstration anddissemination/uti­
lizationmustcoverthefieldsofrationalenergyuse,
introductionofrenewableenergysourcesonaslargea
scaleaspossible,moreefficientandcleanercombustion
offossilfuels(coalandhydrocarbons ),nuclearsafety
andcontrollednuclearfusion.
7.6.5.1.AstheCommissionproposes,concertation
networksandintegratedprojectswillbeparticularly
importantinresearchrelatingtotheenvironment .7.6.8.2.TheCommitteehasalreadystressedrepeat­
edlythegreatimportanceofrationalenergyuseand

2.2.94 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC34/95
renewableenergysources,andparticularlytheneedto
movefrombasicdevelopmenttothemarketingstage.7.6.10.2.TheCommitteewouldpreferatitlesuch
asTargetedEconomicandSocialResearch,both
becauseofthemultidisciplinary perspectiveitindicates
andbecause'socialandeconomic'ismoreconsonant
withthescopeoftheFourthFrameworkProgramme
asdeterminedbytheMaastrichtTreaty.7,6,8,3.Efficientandenvironmentally optimumuse
offossilfuelsisanaimforwhich,particularlywith
regardtogreaterlong-termsecurityofsupply,measures
toimproveexploitation ofdomesticresources,
especiallysolidfuels,areimportant.7.6.10.3.Buildingonasynergyofdiversitywithina
commonculturaltraditionrequiresempiricalknowl­
edgeandunderstanding ofculturalpatterns,valuesand
attitudesandpatternsofbehaviour.Atatheoretical
levelconceptsofnationalidentity,minority/majority
relationsandimagesofothermembersarecentralto
achievementoftheaspirationsofthe'TreatyonEuro­
peanUnion'.7.6.8.4.Asregardsnuclearfission,RTDactivitiesof
theCommunitymustconcentrateexclusivelyonthe
problemsofnuclearsafety.Itispreciselyinthisarea
thattheCommunitycanandmusthelptoconsolidate
aninternational 'safetyculture'.Inthiscontext,refer­
encemustalsobemadetotheproblemsoftheuseof
nuclearenergyincentralandeasternEuropean
countries .7.6.10.4.Theeffectiveness ofvalorizationofCom­
munityRTDProgrammesmightbeenhancedbyin­
depthstudiesofpatternsofbehaviourandunderlying
attitudes.
7.7.Thesecondactivity:Promotionofcooperationin
thefieldofCommunityresearch,technological
development anddemonstration withthird
countriesandinternationalorganizations7.6.8.5.Researchintocontrollednuclearfusionisa
verylong-terminvestment.Ifeventuallysuccessful,it
willopenupaccesstoavirtuallylimitlesssupplyof
additionalenergy.Thisresearchmustbecontinued.
ThevaluablesuccessesachievedbyEuropesofarmust
beutilizedandbuiltuponwithintheinternational
agreementwithJapan,RussiaandtheUnitedStates.
However,theveryhighcostoffusionresearch,which
tosomeextentcompetesforthefundsneededforother
avenuesofenergyresearch,willrequiretheCommunity
tocontinuetomonitorthecostsincurredandtoensure
thattheannualtotaliskeptwithinaffordablebounds.7.7.1.ThelinkagewithEurekaandtheimplications
ofsuchalinkageneedcarefulattention.Thepositive
valueoftheclosenesstothemarketofEurekaresearch
isacknowledged anditisveryimportant.Tooclosea
linkageortheallocationoftoohighaproportionof
resourcestoitcouldhaveseriousnegativeimplications
forS8cTcooperationwithdevelopingcountries.Com­
plicatedmanagementarrangements mayslowdown
theprocessofcooperationwithotherindustrialized
countries.Theneedforattentiontotherequirements
ofSMEshasbeenmentioned .7,6.9.TheCommitteeexpresslywelcomesthefact
thattheresearchactivitiesinthetransportfieldhave
nowbeencollatedinaseparatesectionunderthehead­
ing'ResearchforaEuropeanTransportPolicy'.The
Committeerepeatedlysuggestedthisinthepast.Only
inthiswaycanthisfieldreceivethenecessaryattention
andenjoybettercoordination . 7.7.2.TheCommitteeregardsasofhighimportance
Theme5—CooperationthroughCOSTActions—
wherethecooperativereturnisverygoodfromvery
limitedresources.
7.6.10.TargetedSocio-Economic Researchisthe
secondnewthemeintroducedbytheCommission .
7.7.3.Recentprovisionstosupportbothpartici­
pationandresearchbysomeCentralEasternEuropean
Countrieshasbeenverysignificantforthem.Similar
supportforCommunityObjective1MemberStates
wouldbeaveryeffectiveexampleofimplementingthe
cohesionapproachofArticles130aand130bofthe
MaastrichtTreaty.7.6.10.1.TheCommission'sintroductoryparagraph
settingoutthereasonsforthetheme,i.e.thevalueof
agreatersynergybetweenthenaturalsciencesand
engineeringandtheeconomicandsocialsciences,and
theusefulnessofsocio-economic researchineachof
thetopicsoftheactivitiesisinaccordancewiththe
Committee'semphaticrecommendation initsOpinion
ontheproposalfortheThirdFrameworkProgramme
andinitsOwn-Initiative Opinion.7.7.4.Supportforresearchindevelopingcountries
andformakingresearchresultsavailabletothemisof
highimportance .

NoC34/96 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 2.2.94
7.8.Thethirdactivity:Dissemination andoptimiza­
tionoftheresultsofactivitiesinCommunity
research,technologicaldevelopmentanddemon­
stration
7.8.1.TheimportancewhichtheCommitteeattaches
todisseminationandoptimizationoftheresultsofactivi­
tiesinCommunityRTDandDemonstration hasalready
beenindicatedinpreviousCommitteeOpinions.
7.8.2.TheCommitteesupportstheCommission's
contentionintheintroductiontothisactivitythat:
'TheCommunitymustmakeasubstantialcontri­
butiontoimprovingthedisseminationandutiliza­
tionofresearchresults.However,itshouldalso
createbetterconditionsforthetransferandabsorp­
tionofnewtechnologies,whatevertheirorigin,by
industryandespeciallySMEs,whilsttakinginto
accounttheneedsofsociety:infact,thesocial
acceptanceofscienceandtechnologyseemstomeet
increasingresistance.'
7.8.3.Theemphasisonincreasingeffectivetrans­
lationofresearchresultsintosuccessesinthemarket
placeisveryimportant.
7.8.4.TheenvisagedpriorityattentiontoSMEsis
verywelcome.
7.9.Thefourthactivity:Stimulationofthetraining
andmobilityofresearchersintheCommunity
7.9.1.TheCommitteesharestheviewoftheCom­
missionasexpressedinitsopeningparagraphonthe
fourthactivitythat:'Thedevelopmentofhumanresourcesinthatfield
ofresearchthroughtraining,andtheirbetterutiliza­
tionbytransnationalmobilityandcooperation,are
essentialmeanstoreinforcethebasisofEuropean
industryandtoimproveitsinternationalcompeti­
tiveness.'
7.9.2.TheCommission'sproposalissoundandwhat
itcontainscanbeendorsed,butitcouldbeimproved.
7.9.2.1.Measurestoreducetheisolationof
researchersinsmalllaboratoriesorinperipheralareas
oftheEuropeanCommunityareimportantnotonly
fortheresearchers,buttoensurethatthereisadded
valuefromtheactivityinitsemphasisonitscontri­
butiontoeconomicandsocialcohesion.
7.9.2.2.Theactivityshouldpromoteanensembleof
activitieswithacomplementarity inapproachesand,it
istobehoped,aresultingsynergy.
7.9.2.3.Themeasurestopromotecohesionand
thesupportforthedevelopmentofcompetencyin
Objective 1MemberStatesareveryimportant
elementsofthisactivity.Theyshouldbeexpanded
tofacilitatemoreshort-termmobilityofboth
researchersandyounggraduatestoreceivetraining
onindustrialresearchprojectstobepursuedinthe
contextofnetworks.
7.9.2.4.TheUniversity-Industry linkshouldbe
emphasizedintrainingandmobilityactivities.Itshould
beorientedtowardsreciprocalsupportandstimulation
betweenuniversitiesandindustry.
DoneatBrussels,25November1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN

2.2.94 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC34/97
APPENDIX
totheOpinionoftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
Thefollowingamendments,basedontheSectionOpinion,andsubmittedinaccordancewiththeRulesof
Procedure,weredefeatedinthecourseofthedebate.
1,Page4—paragraph2.7
Addthefollowing:
'Communityactionshouldprimarilybeconcentratedonhightechnologyandresearch-intensive sectors,in
whichexistingexperienceandcompetitiveness yieldrapidresultsandsecurecompetitiveadvantagesfor
Europeanindustry,apre-conditionforanypositiveimpactonemployment.'
Reasons
EmploymentisthemosturgentissuecurrentlyfacingEurope.Theobjectivesetisdifficulttoachieve,inpart
becauseofEuropeanindustry'sprogressivelossofcompetitiveness .Researchprogrammesmustbemore
firmlygearedtothisend:theOpinionshouldthereforebestrengthenedaccordingly .
Resultofthevote
For:20,against:44,abstentions :22.
2.Page7
Addthefollowingnewparagraphafterparagraph4.5:
'Followinganinitialassessmentofthebreakdownofresourcesbetweenindividualtopics,theCommitteeis
concernedatthepercentagereductionofresourcesearmarkedforenvironmentandindustrialmaterials
technology,whichitconsidersvitaltoEuropeaneconomicrecovery.'
Reasons
Self-explanatory .
Resultofthevote
For:36,against:38,abstentions :19.