8. 8. 83 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 211/9 
3.2.4. Basically, charging for the use of infrastruc­
ture is not regulated at Community level. An assess­
ment of this aspect would be beyond the compass of 
the present opinion. 
3.2.5. Article 3 is modelled on Article 7 of Council 
Decision 82/529/EEC of 19 July 1982 which grants 
commercial independence in international goods 
transport to railways in the Member States. 
3.2.6. All in all, the Committee approves Article 3, 
which is designed to encourage railways to shoulder 
their responsibilities. It would stress, however, that 
the practical implementation of Article 3 cannot be 
divorced from the general aspects underlined in this 
opinion. 
Done at Brussels, 1 June 1983. 
The full text of the opinion is as follows: 
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the Euro­
pean Economic Community, and in particular 
Article 198 thereof, 
Having regard to the letter of 17 January 1983 in 
which the Council of the European Communities 3.3. The Committee has no comments on Art­
icles 4, 6 and 7. 
3.4. The Committee supports the statement in 
Article 5 that railways should consider establishing a 
joint office for commercial activities. 
The Committee points out that whilst the railways 
are most willing to study this matter, they have 
already made considerable progress in the field of 
cooperation. Such areas of progress include the 
establishment of a passengers' commercial sub­
group by the 10 railways, the European Passenger 
Timetable Conference, and bilateral and multila­
teral international marketing studies. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Francis CEYRAC 
asked the Economic and Social Committee for an 
opinion on the research programme (1983-1987) 
Forecasting and Assessment in Science and Tech­
nology (FAST) ('), 
(') OJ No C 89, 31. 3. 1983, p. 9. Opinion on the research programme (1983-1987) Forecasting and Assessment in Science 
and Technology (FAST) 
The text referred to the Committee has been published in Official Journal of the Euro­
pean Communities No C 89 of 31 March 1983, page 9. 
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION 
On 17 January 1983 the Council referred the abovementioned programme to the 
Economic and Social Committee in accordance with Article 198 of the Treaty estab­
lishing 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 
208th plenary session held in Brussels on 1 and 2 June 1983. 
NoC211/10 Official Journal of the European Communities 8. 8. 83 
Having regard to the decision taken by its Bureau 
on 25 January 1983 instructing the Section for 
Energy and Nuclear Questions to prepare an 
opinion and report on the matter, 
Having regard to the opinion adopted by that Sec­
tion at its 80th meeting, held on 6 May 1983, 
Having regard to the oral report of the rapporteur, 
Mr Bordes- Pages, 
Having regard to the evaluation of the Community 
programme on Forecasting and Assessment in the 
Field of Science and Technology (FAST) (1978-
1983), report No 6, 
Having regard to the appraisal by the Advisory 
Committee on Programme Management (ACPM) of 
the FAST programme (1978-1983), 
Having regard to the extract from the draft minutes 
of the CREST meeting in Copenhagen on 30 Octo­
ber 1982 entitled: 'Information and exchange of 
views on the results and recommendations of the 
FAST programme', 
Having regard to the discussions at its meeting on 
1 June 1983 (208th plenary session of 1 and 2 June 
1983), 
HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING OPINION 
unanimously: 
1. Introduction 
1.1. The Economic and Social Committee notes 
that the FAST programme is the first attempt at 
European level to evaluate long-term R&D pros­
pects. It is well aware of the importance of such an 
evaluation, which will make it easier to achieve joint 
control of economic and technological changes, and 
to further the sociological and cultural changes that 
have such an impact on industrial and economic 
change. Experience has proved how difficult it can 
be to overcome such sociological barriers. 
1.2. The Committee is, as a matter of principle, 
keenly interested in the economic and social aspects 
of the questions it has to deal with. With respect to 
the FAST programme, which has a direct and major 
bearing on the future of our communities, the essen­
tial aim of the Committee is to link up pragmatic 
findings to general considerations and theories. 1.3. In the Committee's view, any value judgment 
of the draft FAST II programme (1983-1987) must 
be based on a proper appraisal of the work done 
under the first programme, FAST I (1978-1983). 
There is, therefore, a close link between the contents 
of the FAST papers and the concerns of the Econo­
mic and Social Committee: each FAST report repre­
sents a real approach to complex problems with 
social ramifications. In view of the quality of the 
FAST I papers, the FAST I team must be encour­
aged to continue its work, despite the fact that legiti­
mate ambitions of the programme were, of necess­
ity, limited by time, money, and the sheer scale of 
the areas studied. 
1.4. The Committee approves the draft FAST pro­
gramme for 1983-1987. It seems to have the neces­
sary flexibility, and includes a guarantee of demo­
cratic monitoring by the Advisory Committee for 
Programme Management (ACPM). 
Having approved the draft FAST II programme, the 
Committee would like to draw the Council's atten­
tion to the following general and specific points: 
2. General comments 
2.1. The useful experience of the first programme, 
FAST I (1978-1983) 
2.1.1. The Committee notes that the 'experimental' 
nature of FAST I has imposed two conditions which 
conflict seriously with each other: 
— a relatively modest budget and staff comple­
ment (4,4 million ECU plus 1,2 million ECU 
from Member States' contributions and a staff 
of 10, including six researchers), and 
— a very wide field for investigation split up into 
three main areas: work and employment, the 
information society, and the bio-society. 
The Committee feels that the FAST team has over­
come the difficulties which resulted from this con­
flict and which inevitably led to certain weaknesses. 
During its four-year term, the FAST team operated 
as a small forecast unit in liaison with some 60 
research teams in the Member States. It carried out 
36 research projects in the three areas referred to 
above. 
8. 8. 83 Official Journal of the European Communities NoC211/ll 
The team thus achieved its initial ambition of forg­
ing a Community forecasting and assessment tool 
for defining long-term Community R&D objectives. 
2.1.2. The work of the first FAST programme has 
led to the setting-up of ongoing open consultation 
on the major changes which our societies are under­
going. 
2.1.3. It is worth noting that the recommendations 
resulting from the 36 research projects have the great 
merit of being concrete and to the point, e.g.: 
— a European composite materials institute should 
be set up, 
— there is a need for vocational training in main­
tenance and repair work, 
— scientific bases should be laid down for estab­
lishing European norms and standards, 
— administrative measures to assist the mobility of 
research personnel should be adopted, 
— business heads should receive training in the 
fields of research, development and technology 
transfer, and 
— there should be a long-term plan for European 
transport. 
2.2. A wide range of customers' 
2.2.1. The FAST team was consulted by a wide 
range of authorities: 
— the Commission itself, 
— the Member States, 
— the scientific community, and 
— the two sides of industry, although so far they 
have not used FAST findings systematically. 
2.3. Ensuring the quality of research 
2.3.1. The ACPM and the panel of experts have 
ensured that the FAST programme has been 
assessed in a proper manner. The Committee feels 
that the machinery set up by the Council in 1978 has 
proved its worth. 2.3.2. The Committee attaches great importance to 
the ACPM appraisal and to the assessment made by 
the panel of experts at the CREST meeting in 
Copenhagen on 16 December 1982. 
2.3.3. Both of these assessments recognize the gen­
eral interest in and usefulness of FAST Fs work, 
even though its brief is in some respects ambiguous 
and too comprehensive. 
2.4. The fundamental task of the FAST II 
programme (1983 -1987) 
2.4.1. The Committee feels that the fundamental 
mission of the proposed FAST II programme is still 
the general analysis of long-term technological 
change. 
This mission involves both a more detailed exami­
nation of certain basic topics which have already 
been studied and a new approach laying more stress 
on: 
— the development of Community cooperation, 
— closer functional links between the relevant 
departments of the Commission, and 
— the involvement of industry and labour repre­
sentatives in FASTs work. 
2.5. Collaboration between the FAST team, the 
European Foundation for the Protection of Liv­
ing and Working Conditions in Dublin and the 
European Centre for the Development of Voca­
tional Training (Cedefop) 
2.5.1. The Committee would stress the importance 
of closer links being developed between FAST and 
the work of the Dublin Foundation and Cedefop in 
Berlin as regards the relationships between new 
technologies, technological change, working condi­
tions, jobs, vocational training, and the process of 
apprenticeship in general. 
3. Specific comments 
3.1. The Committee approves and stresses the 
importance of the four areas which have been cho­
sen for investigation, namely: 
NoC211/12 Official Journal of the European Communities 8. 8. 83 
(a) new forms of growth for Europe; 
(b) new strategic industrial systems; 
(c) the allocation of activities within the life-span 
and the implications for production; and 
(d) the transformation of service activities and tech­
nological change. 
3.2. The Committee considers that the wide scope 
of the four areas of activity set out in the proposed 
programme will ensure that the maximum number 
of research teams try to obtain contracts and enable 
the best projects to be chosen. The Committee sees 
the need to avoid laying down programmes which 
are too specific, and give the impression of being 
'made to measure' for a 'preselected' team. 
3.3. The Committee has already said that the draft 
FAST programme for 1983-1987 seems to contain a 
guarantee of democratic monitoring by the ACPM. 
This body should include not only scientists but 
also finance specialists and representatives of the 
two sides of industry, but their appointment should 
still be a matter for the Member States. The Com­
mittee shares the Council's desire to preserve the 
independence of FAST as a Community instrument, 
while at the same time encouraging links between it 
and forecasting teams in the Member States. 
3.4. Because FAST covers so many fields, the 
Committee would like the programme to have syste­
matic links with other programmes, such as Esprit, 
which also originated in the 1984-1987 framework 
programme. 
It particularly recommends the continuation of pro­
per coordination with forecasting operations in dif­
ferent sectors in the Community, and the encourage­
ment of links with forecasting teams in the Member 
States. 
3.5. The Committee notes that, although financial 
resources are still fairly modest, they are increasing 
and will total 10,5 million ECU for the period 1983-
1987, which represents an average annual cost of 
Done at Brussels, 1 June 1983. around 2,1 million ECU in 1982 terms. Another 2,5 
million ECU will come from outside parties in the 
Member States (industry institutions, etc.). 
3.6. It also notes that the number of staff will be 
increased to 19, to be assigned as set out in the table 
below: 
'Network' activities 
(organization + work) 
'Research' activities 
(contracts and fellows) 
'In-house' activities 
(analysis — synthesis) 
Logistic support 
Total (staff) FASTI 
1 
4 
1 
4 
10 FAST II 
5 
4 
2 
8 
19 
3.7. The Committee agrees with the Commission 
that beefing up 'network' activities and logistic sup­
port will enable the difficulties noticed during FAST 
I to be overcome. 
3.8. The Committee considers that Article 4 of the 
proposed Council Decision should include the 
Economic and Social Committee among the institu­
tions to receive a report evaluating the results of the 
programme. 
4. Final remarks 
4.1. Although the Committee approves the draft 
FAST II programme 1983-1987, it does see a need 
for a clearly defined procedure to ensure that the 
findings of FAST II are followed up realistically 
and effectively, so that the work which has been put 
in bears fruit. 
Such follow-up work should seek to interpret find­
ings, frame recommendations to the Member States, 
and stimulate R & D in the Member States. 
The Chairman of the 
Economic and Social Committee 
Francois CEYRAC