Source: EURLEX
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No C 327/10 Official Journal of the European Communities 20. 12. 88

## II

_(Preparatory Acts)_

# COMMISSION

Proposal for a Council Decision adopting two specific research and technological development
programmes in the field of the environment (1989 to 1992):

— STEP: Science and technology for environmental protection

— EPOCH: European programme on climatology and natural hazards

_COM(88) 632 final — SYN 168_

_(Submitted by the Commission on 24 November 1988)_

(88/C 327/06)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Economic Community, and in particular Article 130Q
(2) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

In cooperation with the European Parliament,

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and
Social Committee,

Whereas Article 130K of the Treaty provides that the
framework programme shall be implemented through
specific programmes developed within each activity;

Whereas by its Decision 87/516/Euratom, EEC ( [l] ), the
Council adopted a framework programme of
Community research and technological development
(1987 to 1991), providing _inter alia_ for activities in the
field of the environment;

Whereas, for the selection of Community actions, the
framework programme sets out criteria among which is
that of contributing to the strengthening of the economic
and social cohesion of the Community, consistent with
the pursuit of scientific and technical quality;

Whereas the Council of the European Communities and
the Representatives of the Member States, meeting
within the Council, declared in their Resolution of 19
October 1987 on the continuation and implementation of
a European Community policy and action programme on
the environment (1987 to 1992) ( [2] ) that improving the

( [l] ) OJ No L 302, 24. 10. 1987, p. 1.
O OJ No C 328, 7. 12. 1987, p. 1.

scientific bases of environment policy, _inter alia_ through
appropriate research programmes, was one of the
priority areas of Community action;

Whereas the participation of certain European
non-member States in a Community R&D programme in
the field of the environment would be beneficial;

Whereas the Scientific and Technical Research

Committee (Crest) has been consulted,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

_Article 1_

Two specific research and technological development
programmes for the European Economic Community in
the field of the environment, as defined in the Annex,
are hereby adopted for a period of four years, starting
from . . .

_Article 2_

The amount deemed necessary for the execution of the
two programmes is Ecu 115 million, including expenditure on a staff of 30, subdivided as follows:

— STEP (Science and technology for environmental
protection): Ecu 75 million,

— EPOCH (European programme on climatology and
natural hazards): Ecu 40 million.

_Article 3_

Detailed rules for the implementation of the programmes
and the rate of the Community's financial participation
are set out in the Annex.

20. 12. 88 Official Journal of the European Communities N o C 327/11

_Article 4_

1. In the third years of the programmes' implementation, the Commission shall undertake a review of the
programmes and shall report to the Council and the
European Parliament on the results thereof, together, if
necessary, with any proposals for modification or
prolongation.

2. An evaluation of the results achieved shall be

conducted by the Commission, which shall report
thereon to the Council and the European Parliament.

3. The abovementioned reports shall be established
having regard to the objectives set out in the Annex and
in conformity with the provisions of Article 2 (2) of
Decision 87/516/Euratom, EEC on the framework

programme.

_Article 5_

1. The Commission shall be responsible for the
execution of the two programmes and shall be assisted in
their implementation by the Management and Coordination Advisory Committee (CGC) on Environment and
Climatology, set up by Council Decision
84/338/Euratom, ECSC, EEC _(_ _[l]_ _)._

(*) OJ No L 177, 4. 7. 1984, p. 25.

_ANNEX_

2. The contracts entered into by the Commission shall
regulate the rights and obligations of each party,
including the methods of disseminating, protecting and
exploiting the research results.

_Article 6_

1. The Commission is hereby authorized to negotiate,
in accordance with Article 130 n of the Treaty,
agreements with non-member States and international
organizations, in particular with those countries participating in European cooperation in the field of scientific
and technological research (COST), and those having
concluded framework agreements for scientific and
technical cooperation with the Community, with a view
to associating them wholly or partly with the

programmes.

2. Where framework agreements for scientific and
technical cooperation between non-member States and
the European Communities have been concluded, organizations and enterprises established in those countries
may participate in a project undertaken within these

programmes.

_Article 7_

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

I. OBJECTIVES

Environmental issues in one form or another, whether air pollution, groundwater quality or the greenhouse
effect, pervade almost every aspect of human life. This is reflected in the three objectives which are shared
by the two programmes, STEP (Science and technology for environmental protection) and EPOCH
(European programme on climatology and hazards), namely

— the provision of scientific and technical support for the environmental policy of the Community, and
for other relevant Community policies such as energy, agriculture, industry, aid to developing
countries, both for the solution of short term policy questions and for the medium and long-term
formulation of preventive and anticipatory policies;

— the further improvement of the productivity of the overall research effort in the Community, the
reduction of overlaps and the identification of gaps, through the coordination of the national R&D
programmes in the field of environmental research;

— the promotion of overall scientific and technical quality in the field of environmental research, as a
contribution to the strengthening of the economic and social cohesion of the Community, R&D capabilities at the highest level in all parts of the Community being one of the prerequisites for its
harmonious development.

II. CONTENTS

STEP (Science and technology for environmental protection)

RESEARCH AREA 1

_Environment and human health_

1.1. Development of biological markers of exposure and preclinical effects

N o C 320/12 Official Journal of the European Communities 20. 12. 88

1.2. Development of environmental epidemiology in the European Community

1.3. Indoor air quality and its impact on man

RESEARCH AREA 2

_Assessment of_ _risks_ _associated with chemicals_

2.1. Development and validation of protocols in the context of Directive 79/831/EEC for the assessment
of health risks

2.2. Alternatives to the use of animals in chemicals testing

2.3. Assessment procedures for the abiotic degradation of chemicals

2.4. Research on the assessment of ecological effects of chemicals

2.5. Refinement and application of quantitative structure /activity relationships (QSARs)

RESEARCH AREA 3

_Atmospheric_ _processes_ _and air quality_

3.1. Tropospheric chemistry, including analysis, sources, transport and deposition of pollutants and other
airborne substances

3.2. Stratospheric chemistry, ozone depletion and related issues

3.3. Air pollution effects on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems

RESEARCH AREA 4

_Water quality_

4.1. Analysis and conversion of pollutants

4.2. Effects of pollutants

RESEARCH AREA 5

_Soil a id groundwater protection_

5.1. Protection against inorganic pollutants

5.2. Protection against organic pollutants

5.3. Effects of agricultural and forestry practice

RESEARCH AREA 6

_Ecosystem research_

6.1. Terrestrial ecosystems

6.2. Aquatic and coastal ecosystems (including wetlands)

RESEARCH AREA 7

_Protection and conservation of the European cultural heritage_

_7A._ Assessment of the mechanisms of the deterioration

7.2. Critical environmental factors

7.3. Damage assessment

7.4. Material characterization

7.5. Conservation techniques

RESEARCH AREA 8

_Technologies for environmental protection_

8.1. Waste research

20. 12. 88 Official Journal of the European Communities N o C 327/13

8.2. Emission abatement

8.3. Clean technologies

RESEARCH AREA 9

_Major technological hazards and fire safety_

9.1. Physical and chemical phenomena

9.2. Technologies of accident prevention

9.3. Evaluation and management of risk

EPOCH (European programme on climatology and natural hazards)

RESEARCH AREA 1

_Past climates and climate change_

1.1. Modelling of extremes

1.2. Transient behaviour of the European climate: data and modelling

RESEARCH AREA 2

_Climate processes and models_

2.1. Climate change detection, modelling and prediction, especially as regards greenhouse gas effects

2.2. The global carbon cycle

2.3. Land surface processes

2.4. Climatic aspects of ozone changes and troposphere-stratosphere interactions

2.5. Cloud-radiation interactions

2.6. Ocean circulation and air-sea fluxes

2.7. Cryospheric processes

RESEARCH AREA 3

_Climatic impacts and climate-related hazards_

3.1. Sea level change

3.2. Climatic impacts on land and water resources

3.3. European land degradation and desertification in a changing climate

3.4. Instability and erosion of natural slopes

3.5. Storms and floods

3.6. Wildfires

RESEARCH AREA 4

_Seismic hazard_

4.1. Strong-motion measurements

4.2. European data centres and information services

4.3. Multidisciplinary earthquake prediction studies

4.4. Risk assessment including methods of evaluating seismic vulnerability of housing stock, lifelines,
historical buildings and monuments

4.5. Establishment of a task force for scientific field missions after a destructive earthquake

^ o C ^ O B t ^ ^ h c ^ l ] o u r n ^ l o ^ r l i ^ E u r o o ^ n C o r n r r i L i n i n ^ ^0 t^ ^^

hT ^ ^ L ^ ^ t ^ ^ T A T t O ^

The programmes shall be implemented by means of ^ sharedcost research contracts, ^ concerted
actions, ^111^ coordination activities, ^ education and trammgactivities and ^ studies andassessments

The programmes are open to universities, research organizations and industrial companies, including small
and medium^sized enterprises,individuals,or any combination thereof estabhshedmthe Community Asa
rulepro^ects mustbe transnational

The association and involvement of nonmember states, international and national organizations ^vill be
foundedonthecntenonof mutualadvantage M the caseof European non member states, their associ
ation and involvement ^vdl be made possible through the CC^T system and through the bilateral
frame^vorl^ agreements ^vithr^rTA^uropean^reeTradeAssociation^ countries

r^or sharedcost contracts,the Community participation ^vill generally be ^ O ^ o f the total expenditure,but
thispercentagemay be varied according tothenatureandthestageofdevelopmentoftheresearch tn
respect of universities and research institutes carrying out projects, the Community may bear up to tOO^Bo
of theadditionale^pendituremvolved

r r ^ V A L U A T ^ O ^ C ^ T ^ ^ A

The Commission'sCommumcation to the Council concerningaCommumtyman for Action relating to the
evaluationof Community researchanddevelopment activities for the years t^B^to t ^ t ^ C O ^ ^ ^ O
finals states that the objectives and milestones of each research programme have to be set outmatestable
form

t The first objective of the t^voprogrammes is theprovision of scientific and technical support for the
environmental policy of the Commumty,and for other relevant Community policies

Taking into account the general goals of the separate research areas fo the programmes, the evaluation
criteria should consist of the following

— the scientific and technical progress made, contributing to the solution of short term policy
questions,

— the advancesmtheunderstandingof environmentalprocesses as abasisforthe medium and long
term formulation of preventive and anticipatory policies,

— the contribution to the definition of norms and standards

^ The coordination of national ^^tO programmes ^vdl be evaluated by criteria such as

— the added value due to coordination ^vhich^vas not obtainable in one national programme alone,

— the repartition of research tasl^s between national programmes asaresult of coordination

^ Thepromotionof overall scientificc^ualitymthefieldof environmental research, asacontnbutionto
the strengthening of the economic and socialcohesionof the Community,^villbeevaluatedbycnteria
such as

— the degree of transnational^ of the research projects,

— the participation in training and educational activities,

— the application of the results obtained, to regions of the Community other than those^vhere the
research ^vas conducted,

— the duality of environmental research as measured by suitable bibliometnc studies