Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

13. 6. 89 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 146/15

# COMMISSION

Proposal for a Council Decision adopting a research programme on competitiveness of
agriculture and management of agricultural resources (1989 to 1993)

_COM(88) 459 final — SYN 152_

_(Submitted by the Commission on 20 September 1988)_

(89/C 146/10)

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 Council Regulation (EEC) No 1728/74 of
27 June 1974 on the coordination of agricultural
research ( [x] ), as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No
3768/85 ( [2] ), provides for coordination at Community
level of national agricultural research activities, in order
to contribute towards attaining the objectives of the
common agricultural policy;

Whereas Article 5 of Regulation (EEC) No 1728/74
provides that the Council is to decide upon specific
measures for the coordination of national research acti
vities so as to allow rational organization of resources
employed, efficient use of results and the orientation of
such work towards the aims of the common agricultural
policy, as well as for implementation of projects designed
to second or supplement work undertaken in Member
States in fields which are of particular importance to the
Community;

Whereas by its Decision 87/516/Euratom, EEC ( [3] ) the
Council adopted a framework programme for
Community research and technological development
(1987 to 1991) providing for activities to be implemented
to ensure the exploitation and optimum use of biological

resources;

Whereas Article 130k of the Treaty stipulates that the
framework programme shall be implemented through
specific programmes developed within each of the activities;

(*) OJ No L 182, 5. 7. 1974, p. 1.
( [2] ) OJ No L 362, 31. 12. 1985, p. 8.
( [3] ) OJ No L 302, 24. 10. 1987, p. 1.

Whereas a programme of agricultural research has the
objective of enhancing the competitiveness of agriculture
and management of agricultural resources with the
purpose of increasing the efficiency of human and
financial resources devoted to agriculture and of
providing a response to the economic, social, environmental and regional challenges arising from the way
farming and farming methods are changing in the socio
economic framework of rural areas;

Whereas in the Community efforts are needed to
overcome the problems of agricultural surpluses,
production has to be adjusted in line with market
demand, agricultural incomes have to be maintained at a
reasonable level, agricultural structures have to be

rationalized and modernized and all at the same time as

caring for and improving the environment;

Whereas efforts must be directed to the promotion and
development of products which are in deficit in the
Community, on the improvement of the quality of agricultural products and the development of new uses for
traditional and novel agricultural products to give higher

added value;

Whereas numerous areas in the Community lag behind
others in development and whereas there is therefore a
need to define viable solutions, to meet existing opportunities, to reduce the economic and social disparities
between the slower zones to develop, particularly in the
Mediterranean regions, and the economically more
developed parts of the Community;

Whereas one of the major problems facing agricultural
research will be confining the rapidly escalating costs of
agricultural inputs by, _inter_ _alia,_ developing new
production, processing and conservation systems aimed
at reducing costs;

Whereas the elaboration of long-term schemes in
resource management can result in new ways of
managing land and water to the advantage of agriculture, the environment and the countryside;

Whereas the development of methods and services to
disseminate agricultural information will assist farmers to

No C 146/16 Official Journal of the European Communities 13. 6. 89

adapt easily and efficiently to changes which will
accompany the evolution of the common agricultural
policy;

Whereas the programme will be developed in close collaboration, coordination and interaction with the actions
of the framework programme which directly and indirectly involve agricultural activities;

Whereas the sum estimated to be necessary is fixed at
ECU 55 million in the framework programme, adopted
for the period 1987 to 1991, for actions on the competitiveness of agriculture and management of agricultural
resources; whereas, due to delays in adopting the 1988
budget, the supplementary ECU 20 million awarded in
March 1987, and inserted in the 1988 budget, largely for
cost-shared contracts, would more logically be engaged
in the new programme specified for the period 1989 to
1993, for actions spread over five years with more
developed objectives instead of being engaged at the end
of the preceding programme,

HAS ADOPTED THE DECISION:

_Article 1_

A research programme in the field of competitiveness of
agriculture and management of agricultural resources
(1989 to 1993) covering a five-year period beginning on
1 January 1989, is hereby adopted in the form set out in
the Annex. The funds required for the execution of the
programme are estimated at ECU 55 million, including
expenditure relating to additional staff of eight.

The programme shall consist of work carried out as
shared-cost contracts, as pilot activities and as coordinated actions. Participants in this research will be from
national and regional institutions such as universities,
research centres and agencies involved in research and
development for agriculture. Commercial operations with
a contribution to make to research and development will
be included.

Projects must involve participants from more than one
Member State.

The Community contribution shall not exceed 50 % in
the shared-cost research activities but may be higher in
high-priority pilot activities.

_Article 2_

Detailed rules for the application of this Decision,
concerning in particular scientific priorities to be
complied with within the programme, selection criteria
for participants cooperating in the execution of the
projects and the conduct of the programme on their
execution, shall be adopted in accordance with the
following procedure:

The representative of the Commission shall submit to the
Standing Committee on Agricultural Research (the
'committee') set up by Regulation (EEC) No 1728/74, a
draft of measures to be taken. The committee shall

deliver its opinion on the draft within a time limit which
the chairman may lay down according to the urgency of
the matter. The opinion shall be delivered by the
majority laid down in Article 148 (2) of the Treaty in the
case of Decisions which the Council is required to adopt
on a proposal from the Commission. The votes of the
representatives of the Member States within the
committee shall be weighted in the manner set out in
that Article. The chairman shall not vote.

The Commission shall adopt measures which shall apply
immediately. However, if these measures are not in
accordance with the opinion of the committee, they shall
be communicated by the Commission to the Council
forthwith. In that event:

the Commission may defer application of the measures
which it has decided for a period of not more than one
month from the date of such communication;

the Council, acting by a qualified majority, may take a
different Decision within the time limit referred to in the

previous paragraph.

_Article 3_

The Commission shall implement the programme by
concluding research contracts with the agencies participating in shared-cost activities and pilot activities.

The Commission shall ensure implementation of the
coordinated activities related to the main research targets
and shall enhance their impact by organizing seminars,
lectures, conferences, fact-finding visits, aids to training
and mobility of experts, networks, exchanges of research
workers and working meetings of scientific experts, and
the publication of results and assistance from high-level
outside experts.

_Article 4_

In the third year of implementation of the programme,
the Commission shall undertake a review of the

situation, in particular of financial aspects. An assessment
of the programme and of its global impact shall be made
before its completion. The results of the review and
assessment shall be laid before the Council and

Parliament.

_Article 5_

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

13. 6. 89 Official Journal of the European Communities N o C 146/17

_ANNEX_

1. The research programme will concentrate on the following research objectives:

(a) to help farmers to adapt to the new situation created by over-production and a restrictive policy on
prices and markets;

(b) to maintain the incomes from holdings and encourage structural reform whilst controlling output
and reducing production costs;

(c) to care for and improve the agricultural situation, in line with the market situation, in regions which
have been slow to develop;

(d) to supervise and improve the environment and the countryside;

(e) to develop agricultural information services and infrastructures to improve the dissemination of
research results within and between Member States.

2. To realize the research objectives the emphasis will be on some of the following themes:

(a) conversion and diversification aimed at less intensive cropping and livestock-farming systems, and
improvement in marketing of traditional and new products;

(b) improvement in production techniques of agricultural products and in their quality, and research for
new uses for traditional agricultural products with a view to enhancing their added value;

(c) definition of viable solutions where agriculture can contribute to meet existing opportunities to
reduce the economic and social disparities between the slower zones to develop, particularly in the
Mediterranean regions, and the economically more-developed parts of the Community;

(d) reduction of costs in agricultural production systems;

(e) elaboration of long-term schemes which will result in different ways of managing land and water
resources to the advantage of agriculture, the environment and the countryside;

(f) development of methods and services to disseminate agricultural information to assist farmers to
adapt easily and efficiently to changes which will accompany the development of the common agricultural policy.

Most of these topics are mentioned in the targets and technical content given in Annex 1 to the
framework programme (1987 to 1991) under the heading 'competitiveness of agriculture and the
management of agricultural resources'. These topics are juxtaposed with those in the sub-schemes
'biotechnology' and 'agro-industrial technologies' in the framework programme (1987 to 1991).

3. The realization of the objectives of the programme, via more particularly the themes above, will be
achieved in several ways:

(a) Shared-cost activities

In the context of the five research objectives defined above the shared-cost activities will be:

(i) _to help farmers to adapt to the new situation created by over-production and a restrictive policy on_
_prices and markets_

— the development and introduction of improved varieties of existing crops to improve their
marketability, and of new varieties of existing crops and out-of-season products, for which
there are viable market opportunities,

— the development of specific types of farm products in specific areas or regions, which are of
high quality and high value added, and for which market opportunities clearly exist,

— the assessment of the influence of pre- and post-harvesting factors, with particular reference
to cropping methods and storage, on the quality of agricultural and horticultural products,

— the improvement of the profitability of farm woodland as an alternative enterprise through
the development or introduction of integrated forestry-livestock systems, and the identification of ligneous species for rotation and undergrowth specific to various woodland areas,

— the identification of options for profitable alternative uses for land which may no longer be
required for agriculture;

No C 146/18 Official Journal of the European Communities 13. 6. 89

(ii) _to maintain the incomes from holdings and encourage structural reform whilst controlling output_
_and reducing production costs_

— the definition of optimum (least-cost) combinations of agricultural resources which are
compatible with current and foreseeable market constraints,

— the control of crop pests and diseases with reduced quantities of chemicals by the development of improved strategies of integrated biological control and the early detection of
plant diseases,

— the reduction of input levels in farming practice and the effective conservation of the environment and maintenance of the countryside,

— the improvement of the health and welfare status of livestock by controlling disease,
parasites and other disorders of farm animals,

— the establishment in environmentally sensitive areas of land use systems conserving the
countryside and enriching its wildlife,

— the establishment of guidelines applicable to cropping and livestock farming systems in
marginal areas,

— support for the development of the common agricultural structures policy by providing the
range of data necessary for its conception, evaluation and management;

(iii) _to care for and improve, in line with the market situation, regions which have been slow to develop_

— the pursuit of the research objectives 1 (a) and 1 (b) concerning the specificities of regions
which have been slow to develop and taking account of the situation of the Community
markets for the products involved,

— the assessment of the scope for integrated rural development,

— the improvement and management of natural and local resources,

— the provision of alternative jobs for farmers and farm workers who cannot obtain viable

incomes in farming.

Contracts with the Commission will provide Community finance for research projects at up to 50 %
of the total project cost.

The shared-cost activities will be launched by a call for proposals published by the Commission.

(b) High-priority pilot activities

In the context of research objectives defined for the 1989 to 1993 programme, high-priority pilot
activities will be restricted to a very few main problems. The projects are expected to respond to:

(i) particular technical problems facing the Commission in connection with the common agricultural policy;

(ii) possibilities of applying promising research results in farming practice;

(iii) needs to demonstrate to farmers the real scope for improving the efficiency of agricultural
production, consequently agricultural income, by adopting and exploiting new techniques
derived from research results and from new technology.

Contracts with the Commission will provide Community finance for high-priority projects at a level
above 50 % of the total cost.

The high-priority activities will be implemented by the Commission.

(c) Coordination activities

These activities will in particular serve the needs of the shared-cost and high-priority activities.
Seminars and workshops will bring together scientists from the Member States to address a limited
number of agricultural research problems of particular importance to the Community and the preoccupations of the common agricultural policy. By limiting resources to certain problems, the accent
and the efforts will be where the needs are greatest. Such activities prime the pump for later collaboration which will avoid duplication of research and will ensure more rapid dissemination of
results and other information throughout the Community. This programme will include encour

13. 6. 89 Official Journal of the European Communities N o C 146/19

agement for laboratory twinning and training of scientists working on techniques and methods of
crucial interest for the Community. The publications produced will assist in the overall coordination
and publicize the results.

(d) Information

There must be improved dissemination of the research results (1989 to 1993) to advisory services
and farmers. The priorities are:

(i) to develop and implement the Community inventory of agricultural research (Agrep);

(ii) to integrate Community information, particularly results from the Community agricultural
research programme, into national information systems;

(iii) to support and develop Eur-Agris;

(iv) to introduce, harmonize and utilize information technology in advisory and information
services and on-farm information systems.

(e) Evaluation

Independent evaluation is vital to proper management of the programme, since it is a check on the
utility of the programme in terms of achieving objectives against a background of constant change
and development of the common agricultural policy.