WRITTEN QUESTION E-0716/01

by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(8 March 2001)

Subject: Exclusion of fisheries and marine sciences from the sixth R & D programme

Fisheries and marine sciences require significant investment funds for research and technological development which will help to strengthen scientific research into fishing and aquaculture, in the light of the shortage of fishing grounds and the need to continue research into new fisheries in a sector upon which many jobs in peripheral coastal regions of the EU depend, and bearing in mind that these regions themselves are heavily dependent on fisheries, which will play a strategic role as regards food security in the future.

Even though fisheries and marine sciences were included in the Fifth R & D framework programme (1998-2002), it appears that the Commission has entirely or partially excluded them from the draft decision on the Sixth framework programme for research and technological development activities (2002-2006), the final version of which is shortly to be submitted to the College of Commissioners for adoption.

Can the Commission confirm that fisheries and marine sciences have been excluded and, if so, explain why?

If this sector is not to be excluded or is to be only partially excluded, can the Commission say to what extent it will be covered in the Sixth R & D framework programme 2002-2006, and can it provide the relevant budget estimates?

Can the Commission list the projects, investment and funding, by Member State, allocated to fisheries and marine sciences under the Fifth R & D framework programme (1998-2002)?

Answer given by Mr Busquin on behalf of the Commission

(3 May 2001)

Fishing and the marine sciences are not excluded from the proposal for the 2002-2006 Sixth framework programme for research and technological development.

As an activity needed for implementing a Community policy fishery research may benefit from specific support under the activities covered by the heading Anticipating the Union's scientific and technological needs.

It is planned that these activities will be carried out on the basis of annual decisions in terms of both the specific topics adopted and the means to be allocated to these, the choices being made in the light of needs on the basis of the work of an internal user group drawing upon the advice of an independent consultative body consisting of high-level scientific and industrial experts.

The very nature of the procedure put forward for implementing that part of the framework programme means that the monies allocated to researching the various areas cannot be determined in advance.

Certain aspects of the fishery and aquaculture research are, moreover, involved in the activities to be carried out in the priority area Food safety and health hazards.

Since this concerns the priority Sustainable Development and Planetary Change, this provides for research into the marine sciences and oceanography.

In one case as in another it is not possible to determine in advance to any degree of accuracy what will be the total amount of money spent on research into fishery and the marine sciences. Firstly that amount will in any case depend upon the quality of the proposals received.

A list of the research projects relating to fishery and the marine sciences so far adopted under the current 1998-2002 framework programme, and the tables showing their distribution among the Member States, will be sent direct to the Honourable Member and to the Secretariat-General of Parliament.