European Parliament resolution on the state of research in applicant countries and measures needed to ensure their full participation in the framework programme (2002/2082(INI))
Date: 2002-11-20
Institutions: Committee on Foreign Affairs, European Parliament
Subjects: Central and Eastern European countries, Türkiye, economic situation, enlargement of the Union, political situation, report, social situation

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Wednesday 20 November 2002

6.
Calls on the Commission to make aid for implementation by third countries of the FAO’s inter-
national action plan for combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing one of the main priorities
when concluding future agreements with third countries;

7.
Calls on the Commission to grant aid to coastal states and states with fishing ports in their fight
against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing via its bilateral and multilateral aid programmes in
cooperation between the Fisheries DG, the Development DG and the External Relations DG;

Calls on the Commission to ensure that EU coastal and port states meet FAO good conduct stan-

8.
dards;

9.

Calls upon the EU to close all of its ports to:

(cid:1) fishing vessels or fish transport vessels flying flags of convenience,

(cid:1) fishing vessels engaged in IUU fishing,

(cid:1) fish transport vessels that have transshipped cargo from such vessels;

Calls on the Commission to extend the use of catch certificates, which are easily recognisable and

10.
difficult to forge, in order to combat trade in illegal, unreported and unregulated fish;

11.
Asks the Commission to ensure that adequate financial resources are earmarked for raising the
awareness of the fishing industry, consumers and the general public about the need to combat IUU fishing;

Calls upon the EU to ensure accurate and complete reporting of all transshipment operations, using,

12.
among other tools, vessel monitoring systems and observers on board fish transport vessels;

13.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

P5_TA(2002)0547

Candidate countries’ full involvement in the framework programme

European Parliament resolution on the state of research in applicant countries and measures
needed to ensure their full participation in the framework programme (2002/2082(INI))

The European Parliament,

(cid:1) having regard to the conclusions of the Special European Council of 23/24 March 2000 in Lisbon and
of the European Council of 19/20 June 2000 in Santa Maria da Feira, of 15-16 June 2001 in Göte-
borg, of 14/15 December 2001 in Laeken, of 15/16 March 2002 in Barcelona and of 21/22 June
2002 in Seville,

(cid:1) having regard to its resolutions of 15 March 2000 (1) on the Special European Council in Lisbon, of
15 June 2000 (2) on the preparation of the European Council in Santa Maria da Feira, of 13 June
2001 (3) on the preparation of the European Council in Göteborg, of 29 November 2001 (4) on the
preparation of the European Council in Laeken, of 20 March 2002 (5) on the preparation of the Euro-
pean Council in Barcelona, as well as of 13 June 2002 (6) on the preparation of the European Council
in Seville,

(1) OJ C 377, 29.12.2000, p.164.
(2) OJ C 67, 1.3.2001, p. 280.
(3) OJ C 53 E, 28.2.2002, p. 183.
(4) OJ C 153 E, 27.6.2002, p. 306.
(5) P5_TA(2002)0137.
(6) P5_TA(2002)0316.

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(cid:1) having regard to its resolution of 18 May 2000 (1) on the Commission Communication ‘Towards a

European Research Area’ (COM(2000) 6),

(cid:1) having regard to its resolution of 4 October 2000 (2) on the Commission’s composite paper relating to
the reports on progress towards accession by each of the candidate countries (COM(1999) 500), and
in particular to the section ‘The implications of enlargement for industry, external trade, research and
energy’,

(cid:1) having regard to its resolution of 13 June 2002 (3) on the state of enlargement negotiations

(COM(2001) 700), as well as the regular reports for each candidate country,

(cid:1) having regard to European Parliament and Council Decision No 1513/2002/EC of 27 June 2002 con-
cerning the Sixth Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological
development and demonstration activities, contributing to the creation of the European Research
Area and to innovation (2002-2006) (4),

(cid:1) having regard to Council Decision No 668/2002/Euratom of 3 June 2002 concerning the Sixth
Framework Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) for nuclear research
and training, also contributing to the creation of the European Research Area (2002-2006) (5),

(cid:1) having regard to Regulations (EC) No …/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council con-
cerning the rules for the participation of undertakings, research centres and universities in, and for the
dissemination of research results for, the implementation of the European Community sixth frame-
work programme (2002-2006) and (Euratom) No …/2002 of the Council concerning the rules for the
participation of undertakings, research centres and universities in the implementation of the sixth
framework programme of the European Atomic Community (6),

(cid:1) having regard to Council Decisions 2002/834/EC (7), 2002/835/EC (8), 2002/836/EC (9), 2002/837/
Euratom (10) and 2002/838/Euratom (11) of 30 September 2002 concerning the specific programmes
implementing the Sixth Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technologi-
cal development and demonstration activities (2002-2006) and the Sixth Framework Programme of
the European Atomic Energy Community for research and training activities (2002-2006),

(cid:1) having regard to Rule 163 of its Rules of Procedure,

(cid:1) having regard to the report of the Committee on Industry, External Trade, Research and Energy and

the opinion of the Committee on Budgets (A5-0349/2002),

A. whereas at the Barcelona European Council the European Heads of State or Government agreed that
overall spending on R & D and innovation in the Union should be increased with the aim of approach-
ing 3 % of GDP by 2010,

B. whereas the timely adoption of the full sixth research framework programme (FP6) package makes it
possible for FP6 to play in full its role in the construction of the European Research Area (ERA),

C. whereas all 12 candidate countries negotiating accession participate in the Fifth Framework Pro-
gramme of Research (RP5) (1998-2002) and seven candidate countries in the Fifth Euratom Frame-
work Programme, and the same countries will also participate in the Sixth Framework Programmes
(2002-2006),

(1) OJ C 59, 23.2.2001, p. 250.
(2) OJ C 178, 22.6.2001, p. 112.
(3) P5_TA(2002)0317.
(4) OJ L 232, 29.8.2002, p. 1.
(5) OJ L 232, 29.8.2002, p. 34.
(6) Adopted by the Council on 5 November 2002, not yet published in the Official Journal.
(7) OJ L 294, 29.10.2002, p. 1.
(8) OJ L 294, 29.10.2002, p. 44.
(9) OJ L 294, 29.10.2002, p. 60.
(10) OJ L 294, 29.10.2002, p. 74.
(11) OJ L 294, 29.10.2002, p. 86.

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D. whereas up to 12 candidate countries are expected to become full members of the Union during the

period covered by FP6,

Wednesday 20 November 2002

E. whereas in the Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) the economic uncertainty and restric-
tive budgetary policies that accompanied the transition from centrally-planned to market economies
have put under enormous strain the national research systems, especially as regards applied research,

F. whereas there is often no clear relation between stated research priorities and the actual needs and
capabilities of candidate countries, and there is a need for a new culture in science and technology
(S&T) governance, involving open procedures and regular evaluation of research output and socio-
economic impact,

G. whereas there is an urgent need in candidate countries both to enhance the scope, strength and
durability of links between research institutions and industry, and to link research and educational
institutions with each other,

H. whereas diminished public research funding and insufficiently developed mechanisms for attracting
private-sector funding have led to an impoverishment of the human resource potential in research in
CEECs, with ageing research infrastructures and low salaries for researchers aggravating the problem
and leading to substantial external and internal brain drain,

I. whereas Cyprus and Malta are characterised by the small size of their economies and their inter-

national orientation with regard to higher education and research,

J. whereas Turkey has an industrial base and a research tradition with a significant international dimen-

sion, which will be an asset in view of its integration into the European S&T base,

K. whereas benefits candidate countries derived from their participation in FP5 include international
cooperation links, access to modern infrastructures and state-of-the-art know-how and acquisition of
project management skills,

L. whereas SMEs proved to be more flexible and benefited more from FP5 than large enterprises in
candidate countries, although they had difficulties obtaining bank guarantees and their share of co-
financing is exceedingly costly for them,

M. whereas National Contact Points (NCPs) play an essential role in information provision and the
‘Information Days’ organised in candidate countries, with the participation of Commission officials,
were extremely successful, while information meetings in Brussels were less useful, due to inadequate
financial means for the participation of those concerned,

N. whereas candidate countries welcome some aspects of the new instruments, but are concerned that

they may be disadvantaged when competing for participation in them,

O. whereas benefits from the Human Potential activity in FP5 were limited by the absence of incentives
for scientists to return and by the unavailability of the development host fellowship scheme for insti-
tutions from candidate countries,

P. whereas the candidate countries make a steadily increasing financial contribution of their own to the
Framework Programmes, which has reached the full amount in the 2002 budget, i.e. EUR 170,2 mil-
lion, of which a part is covered by the PHARE programme,

Q. whereas obsolete and ageing research infrastructures in candidate countries are a major obstacle to

deriving optimal benefits from the framework programme,

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1. Welcomes the association of 13 candidate countries to the FP6;

2. Welcomes the participation of the candidate countries in the existing Community programmes, and
in particular, in the Framework Programmes of Research as an important element of the pre-accession
strategy, which allows these countries to get accustomed to Community procedures;

3.
Believes that, at the turning point between FP5 and FP6, the time is appropriate for European insti-
tutions to identify the benefits candidate countries have derived from FP5, but also the obstacles they
encountered, for the purpose of ensuring their full participation in FP6;

4.
Acknowledges the generally high quality of the Commission’s work in providing the necessary
information to prospective candidate countries, but calls for enhanced attention to be paid to the timeli-
ness of this information, as well to its consistency among different DGs;

5.
Calls on the Commission to do its utmost to ensure that research entities from candidate countries
are adequately informed about the new instruments and, when applying for participation in them, they
receive the same treatment as their counterparts in Member States;

6. Welcomes the provisions made in FP6, upon insistence of the European Parliament, that ‘specific
targeted projects and coordination actions may also be used as a “stairway of excellence” to facilitate the
access of … research actors from associated candidate countries, to the activities of this Framework Pro-
gramme’;

7.
Calls on the Commission to encourage candidate countries, either directly by way of assistance pay-
ments, or indirectly by way of incentives, to develop a research strategy of their own that corresponds to
their requirements in the area of research;

Calls upon the Commission, when drafting the work programmes for the implementation of FP6, to

8.
take into account, to the degree possible, the specific needs of candidate countries;

Urges the Commission to continue supporting the NCP system, while adapting it to the objectives of

9.
FP6;

Stresses the usefulness of having a single information point such as Cordis, with full information
10.
about the status of projects, as well as of better advertising of upcoming projects for the purposes of
partner search; welcomes the further expansion and continuous improvement and updating of the Cordis
service;

11.
Urges the Commission to encourage the organisation of, and to participate actively in, ‘Information
Days’ in candidate countries and stresses the need, when information meetings are held in Brussels, for
adequate financial means to ensure the participation of those concerned;

12.
Urges the Commission and Member States to encourage the development of mechanisms for linking
research with industry in candidate countries via co-financing, flexible career planning, private research
entities and research funded through industrial associations;

Calls upon the Commission to help create a favourable financial environment for SMEs in candidate
13.
countries, so that their capacity to participate in the FP is not diminished either by the need to obtain bank
guarantees or by the burden of assuming a significant share of co-financing;

14. Welcomes the broadening of the scope of all human potential provisions of the FP, which now
place candidate countries on an equal footing with Member States, in particular as regards the transfer of
knowledge host scheme and reintegration grants;

Underlines the need to continue to support the participation of the candidate countries through EU
15.
programmes and welcomes any efforts to simplify the procedures for the participation of these countries;

16.
Calls on the Commission to focus on specific activities under the existing structural instruments,
with the emphasis on the improvement and modernisation of research infrastructures in candidate coun-
tries;

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Calls on Member States to seek to ensure adequate participation by candidate-country experts in

17.
consultative groups such as the European Working Party on Ethics in Science and New Technologies;

18. Welcomes the decision of the Commission to set up an independent expert group with the aim of
examining the situation of women scientists in CEECs and formulating recommendations on improving
their place in research; invites the Commission to build upon these recommendations in order to ensure
the full participation of women in ERA;

19. Welcomes the provisional closure of the Science and Research chapter in all accession negotiations,
but believes that the broader implications of persisting problems call for more attention to be given to
research in the regular reports;

20.
Encourages the JRC to continue its enlargement-related activities, which address both the transfer of
the S&T component of the ‘acquis’ and the development of a pan-European Research Area; welcomes the
integration of enlargement objectives in the JRC Work Programme;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission and to the

21.
parliaments and governments of the candidate countries.

P5_TA(2002)0548

Supervision of financial conglomerates ***II

European Parliament legislative resolution on the Council common position for adopting a Euro-
pean Parliament and Council with a view to the adoption of a Directive of the European Parlia-
ment and of the Council on the supplementary supervision of credit institutions, insurance under-
takings and investment firms in a financial conglomerate and amending Council Directives 73/239/
EEC, 79/267/EEC, 92/49/EEC, 92/96/EEC, 93/6/EEC and 93/22/EEC, and Directives 98/78/EC and
2000/12/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (9754/3/2002 (cid:1) C5-0424/2002 (cid:1)
2001/0095(COD))

(Codecision procedure: second reading)

The European Parliament,

(cid:1) having regard to the Council common position (9754/3/2002 (cid:1) C5-0424/2002) (1),

(cid:1) having regard to its position at first reading (2) on the Commission proposal to Parliament and the

Council (COM(2001) 213 (3)),

(cid:1) having regard to Article 251(2) of the EC Treaty,

(cid:1) having regard to Rule 78 of its Rules of Procedure,

(cid:1) having regard to the recommendation for second reading of the Committee on Economic and Mon-

etary Affairs (A5-0367/2002),

1.

2.

Approves the common position;

Notes that the act is adopted in accordance with the common position;

Instructs its President to sign the act with the President of the Council pursuant to Article 254(1) of

3.
the EC Treaty;

(1) OJ C 253 E, 22.10.2002, p. 1.
(2) P5_TA(2002)0112.
(3) OJ C 213 E, 31.7.2001, p. 227.