Amended proposal for a Council Decision adopting a specific research and development programme to be carried out for the European Community, - on the one hand, by means of direct action (JRC), - and on the other, by means of activities within the framework of a competitive approach and intended for scientific and technical support to Community policies (1995 to 1998) (94/C 262/12) (Text with EEA relevance) COM(94) 243 final - 94/0095(CNS)

(Submitted by the Commission pursuant to Article 189 A (2) of the EC Treaty on 6 June 1994)

The proposal for a Council Decision adopting a specific research and development programme to be carried out for the European Community,

- on the one hand, by means of direct action (JRC),

- and on the other, by means of activities within the framework of a competitive approach and intended for scientific and technical support to Community policies (1995 to 1998) (COM(94)68 final - 94/0095(CNS)) is amended as follows:

Recital 2a

(new)

Whereas the present programme must be the subject of a Decision concomitant with those concerning the other specific programmes;

Recital 6

Whereas Decision .../.../EC provides that the maximum overall amount for the framework programme is to be reviewed no later than 30 June 1996 with a view to its being increased; whereas, as a result of that review, the amount deemed necessary for implementation of this programme might increase on the basis of a joint assessment/decision by the Council and the European Parliament;

Recital 12

Whereas the Commission must ensure that research activities carried out as part of the direct and the indirect actions respectively are complementary;

Recital 16a

(new)

Whereas the Joint Research Centre, with its laboratories and installations, can make an effective contribution to the training and mobility of research workers, and whereas cooperation should therefore be encouraged in all the Member States between official and industrial laboratories and scientific institutes;

Recital 24a

(new)

Whereas the EC must equip itself with the means of promoting research within the Community in order to be able to respond effectively to competition from countries such as the United States, Japan and the newly industrialized South-East Asian countries;

Recital 28

Whereas there should be an independent evaluation, in good time, of progress with the institutional research activities in order to provide the background information required for determination of the objectives of the fifth RTD framework programme; whereas it is necessary, under that programme, to carry out a final evaluation of the results obtained in the light of the objectives set out in this Decision; and whereas the conclusions of these evaluations should be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council with a view to the decisions to be taken on the fifth framework programme;

Recital 30

Whereas, within the framework of the support activities needed for the implementation of other Community policies, the Commission will be able to make use, on a competitive basis, of bodies situated in the Member States or the JRC, provided that the subjects covered by the said activities do not require impartiality on the part of the Community institutions;

Recital 30a

(new)

Whereas the areas in which disputes are likely to arise between two Member States or between bodies situated in different Member States could not therefore be concerned with these activities;

Article 5 (3)

3. The amount deemed necessary, as indicated above, for implementing the programme may increase pursuant to and in conformity with the Decision referred to in Article 1 (3) of Decision .../.../EC and on the basis of a joint assessment/decision by the Council and the European Parliament.

Article 7 (3)

3. In order to contribute to the overall evaluation of the Community activities provided for in Article 4 (2) of the Decision adopting the framework programme, the Commission, after consulting the Board of Governors, shall, in good time, instruct independent experts to conduct an evaluation of the research activities and their management conducted by the JRC under this programme. The results of this assessment shall be submitted to the Council and the European Parliament.

Article 10

The Commission may carry out scientific and technical support for Community policies with the aid of activities within the framework of a competitive approach, provided that the subjects receiving such support do not require impartiality on the part of the Community institutions.

ANNEX I

Scientific and technological objectives and content, A. Institutional research activities, Environment; Sixth paragraph

The JRC will also contribute to the ENRICH network by making its scientific research on global change available. This network should also contribute to the development of the research capacities of the developing countries, mainly - but not solely - in Africa and the Mediterranean area; it should also provide support for the Central and Eastern European countries. ENRICH should be implemented by means of the JRC's own contributions, of shared-cost projects and using other Community mechanisms.

A. Environment

New indent

- develop methods which will help to perfect a system for detecting landmines.

Scientific and technological objectives and content, A. Institutional research activities, Non-nuclear energy

Special efforts will be made in the area of renewable energy sources; prenormative research will be intensified in the areas of photovoltaic energy, solar energy, energy conservation, the development of materials for clean technologies, and analysis of systems and standardization procedures from the energy point of view. Cross-border research of this kind should facilitate the dissemination of these technologies, which are approaching some degree of maturity. The JRC will contribute to the development of technologies for cleaner and more efficient use of energy, with the emphasis on environmental aspects, in the following sectors and in close cooperation with the corresponding shared cost action programme:

Scientific and technological objectives and content, A. Institutional research activities, Targeted socio-economic research

The European Science and Technology Observatory (ESTO) of the JRC's Insitute for Prospective Technologies will provide the European Parliament, the Commission and any other interested public or private bodies with an information service on progress in science and technology, and ensure surveillance of scientific developments and technological innovation.

This service will contribute to an analysis of the situation in the Community and the rest of Europe in a global context, as well as to an analysis of the technological strategies of economic operators (industry, public authorities, etc.) and their social impact. An independent comparative study of the Community's expectations with regard to new scientific, technological and technical developments will contribute to decision-making, whether by the Commission, the public authorities or businesses.

Scientific and technological objectives and content, B. Institutional scientific and technical support activities, Environment, first paragraph

Research on air quality to be carried out by the Central Laboratory for Air Pollution (Erlap), which is intended to provide the scientific basis and scientific and technical support for the preparation and implementation of Community directives on air quality. The establishment of harmonization procedures designed to ensure absolute coherence of information coming from the different Member States will be a priority. Such procedure should make for much more effective application of the framework directive on air quality, and enhance awareness of the impact of regulations on air quality in the areas of transport, energy, industry and urban development. Initially, particular attention will be paid to the last two sectors. The implementation of the Community directives on radioactivity in the environment, in particular those concerning exchanges of information between the Member States under normal conditions and in the event of an accident, requires scientific and technical support which is closely associated with this research,

Scientific and technological objectives and content, B. Institutional scientific and technical support activities, Environment, third paragraph

The continuation, also within this framework, of the work undertaken by the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (Ecvam) and described in the Commission communication to the Council and to Parliament (SEC(91)1794) in October 1991. The aim of Ecvam is to coordinate the validation and acceptance of 'alternative` methods which may reduce or abolish laboratory experiments on animals. To this end, discussions between government, companies, scientists, consumers and animal protection associations are being conducted successfully thanks to the impartiality of the JRC. The reinforcement of this dialogue is essential if the Community is to achieve the objective laid down in the fifth action programme on the environment, i. e. a reduction of at least 50 % in the number of vertebrates used in laboratory experiments,

ANNEX IV

Scientific and technological objectives and content of the competitive support activities, Agriculture, second paragraph

- a series of tests for quality control in food products;

Scientific and technological objectives, Agriculture, fourth paragraph

(Deleted)

ANNEX VI

Detailed rules for implementing the competitive support activities, second paragraph

While ensuring maximum flexibility, the Commission will determine the responsibilities, in particular as regards the grant of the financial resources provided for these activities, according to the field of activity concerned. The resources will be granted on a competitive basis. The Commission will ensure that the activities concerned under no circumstances enable a Member State or a national body to influence a future decision using the results of the research it has carried out.