21. 5. 79 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 128/7 
programme carried out under the aegis of the 
Community must be open to full participation by all 
European countries, whether members of the 
Community or not. 
Done at Brussels, 19 December 1978. 
The full text of the opinion is as follows: 
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European*' 
Economic Community, and in particular Article 235 
thereof, 
Having regard to the request made by the Council of 
the European Communities on 27 September 1978 for 
an opinion, 
Having regard to the decision taken by its Bureau on 
18 October 1978 instructing the Section for Energy and 
Nuclear Questions to prepare an opinion on the matter, 4. The Committee would stress the importance of 
reviewing the programme at regular intervals, in order 
to assess the results obtained and to identify fields for 
further research. 
Having regard to the opinion adopted at that Section's 
44th meeting, held on 8 December 1978, 
Having regard to the oral report made at that meeting 
by the rapporteur, Mr Preben Nielsen, 
Having regard to the discussions at the 164th plenary 
session held on 19 and 20 December 1978 (meeting of 
19 December), 
Whereas the Committee in its Study of 25 May 1976 
called for the inclusion of raw materials management 
(exploration, exploitation, conservation, recycling, and The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Fabrizia BADUEL GLORIOSO 
Opinion on the proposal for a Council Decision adopting a research and development 
programme of the European Economic Community in the field of recycling of urban and 
industrial waste (secondary raw materials) indirect action (1979 to 1982) 
The text referred to the Committee has been published in Official journal of the European 
Communities No C 233 of 3 October 1978, page 2. 
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION 
On 27 September 1978 the Council referred the abovementioned proposal to the Economic 
and Social Committee in accordance with Article 235 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 164th 
plenary session held in Brussels on 19 and 20 December 1978. 
No C 128/8 Official Journal of the European Communities 21. 5. 79 
substitution) as one of the specific objectives for a 
Community research and development policy; 
Whereas the recycling of urban and industrial waste can 
result in savings in natural resources and energy and 
thereby help to reduce imports; 
Whereas recycling also reduces the quantities of waste 
which have to be disposed of, thus contributing to the 
protection of the environment, 
HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING OPINION 
unanimously: 
1. The Committee approves the Commission's 
proposal. 
2. The Committee notes that the proposed programme 
complements several other research programmes on raw 
materials recently adopted by the Community. These 
covered 'primary raw materials' (1), 'exploration and 
extraction of uranium' (2) and 'recycling of paper and 
board' (3). 
3. The Committee, while not in a position to evaluate 
technical detail, generally endorses the choice of areas 
to be studied, namely: 
(i) recovery of materials and energy from solid urban 
refuse; 
(ii) recovery of materials and energy by thermal 
treatment of waste; 
(iii) fermentation and hydrolysis of organic waste of 
agricultural and industrial origin; 
(iv) recovery of waste rubber. 
Done at Brussels, 19 December 1978. It would, however, stress the need to use more clear-cut 
definitions to describe each area of the programme, 
particularly when inviting applications for contracts. 
4. The Committee welcomes the fact that the 
programme does not set out to duplicate existing 
research in this field, but rather to build on what has 
already been achieved by the research bodies in the 
Member States, and to coordinate their future activities. 
This principle should be closely followed in the 
execution of the programme and in any future work. 
5. When the results of the research work become 
available, the Committee believes that the Commission 
should examine the possibility of providing financial 
assistance for demonstration projects, where 
appropriate, to promote the practical application of 
promising techniques. 
6. The Committee also believes that the Commission 
could usefully complement the proposed Community 
research effort, by an information programme on 
available recycling techniques. The provision of 
Community guidelines on the recycling of waste 
materials might also, ultimately, be envisaged. Each of 
these activities could form part of a concerted 
Community 'war-on-waste' programme. 
7. The Committee welcomes the suggestion that there 
should be a single Advisory Committee on Programme 
Management (ACPM) to cover both 'secondary raw 
materials' and 'papers and board recycling'. It is 
currently looking at the broader organizational issues 
involved. 
8. In view of the economic and social importance of 
the programme, the Committee wishes to be kept 
informed of the results of the review to be carried out 
under Article 4 of the draft Decision. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Fabrizia BADUEL GLORIOSO 
i1) OJ No L 72, 14. 3. 1978, p. 9. 
(2) OJ No L 72, 14. 3. 1978, p. 12. 
(3) OJ No L 107, 21. 4. 1978, p. 12.