Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

No C 83/4 Official Journal of the European Communities 30. 3. 87

year in the territory of each Member State. It regrets this
restriction, and the distribution between Member States. It
recommends setting an appropriate maximum number of
eligible outbreaks for the Community as a whole, so as to
be able to channel refunds selectively if necessary. An
increase in the number of eligible outbreaks and a
Community-wide allocation system would make it easier to
control swine fever.

2.3. _Article 5, paragraph 4 of the first proposal_

The Committee recommends that heat treatment of pig
feed liable to contain pigmeat or pigmeat products (kitchen
waste) be included in the national plans for controlling

Done at Brussels, 28 January 1987.

classical swine fever. In its regular on-the-spot checks, the
Commission should verify that heat treatment has been
carried out. The Member States should be urged to include
heat treatment in their national programmes.

2.4. _Article 1, paragraph 2 of the second proposal_

The Committee recommends amplifying the new Article
4(a)(1) of Directive 80/1095/EEC to state that, in the case
of areas close to the frontier, Member States should liaise
with the appropriate neighbouring States if the area in the
Member State concerned is to be officially declared 'swine
fever free' after expiry of the deadline laid down.

_The Chairman_

_of the Economic and Social_ _Committee_

Alfons MARGOT

Opinion on the proposal for a Council Decision modifying Council Decision 83/624/EEC

concerning a plan for the transnational development of the supporting infrastructure for

innovation and technology transfer (*)

(87/C 83/04)

On 29 October 1986 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee under
Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community on the abovementioned
proposal.

The Section for Industry, Commerce, Crafts and Services, which was responsible for preparing the
Committee's work on the subject, adopted its Opinion on 7 January 1987, in the light of the report
by Mr de Normann.

At its 243 [rd] Plenary Session (meeting of 28 January 1987) the Committee adopted the following
Opinion unanimously.

The Committee welcomes the Proposal to extend the
plan ( [2] ) for the transnational development of the supporting infrastructure for innovation and technology transfer
(the 'SPRINT' Programme) to 31 December 1988 subject to
the following comments:

1. General comments

1.1. The Committee strongly endorses the aim of the
SPRINT Programme which is to enhance the competi

(!) OJ No C 335, 30. 12. 1986, p. 14.
( [2] ) OJ No C 33, 7. 2. 1983, p. 17. The Committee unanimously,
with one abstention, approved this plan on 16 December 1982.

tiveness of industry by encouraging innovation and the
transfer of technology across boundaries.

1.2. It feels that the Commission is right in focussing its
activities on specific product areas with a view to the
development of new products and the improvement of
production in all sectors. The mature industries and in
particular small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
should be included in these activities. The present
' programme in the Committee's opinion is a wholly justified
case of Community intervention in an area of proven
additionality and the programme respects the principle of
avoiding interference in what the Member States should
and must do for themselves in their own interest.

30. 3. 87 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 83/5

1.3. The Committee feels that the SPRINT programme
is important enough to warrant proposals of a wider nature
as soon as is practicable — commensurate with the needs,
not least in view of the campaign to achieve an internal
market by 1992.

1.4. The Committee, therefore, considers that the level
of funding should become more ambitious. It urges the
Council, however, to avoid any reduction of the proposed
level of funding, so long as the present format is
maintained.

1.5. The Committee warns against spreading the
available funds too thinly on too many projects. It would
have preferred to see fewer projects tackled in the requisite
depth to ensure success.

1.6. The Committee feels that an intensive campaign
providing information about Community and national
programme directly to the end-user, is a key to the success
of such programmes. More emphasis should be put on this
aspect in the SPRINT programme. There is a need for the
fuller dissemination to SMEs of information even on the

limited programmes which have been achieved to date. The
Commission should request Member States to review the
promotion within their own countries of SPRINT initiatives to ensure that SMEs are more aware of the assistance

and information which is now available.

1.7. The Commission should also initiate a review of the

actions taken by each Member State to encourage
innovation and technology transfer amongst SMEs with a
view to providing a summary of such information to each
Member State in order to stimulate the fuller adoption of
the more effective initiatives throughout the Community.

1.8. It is important that the working groups within the
SPRINT programme, which have been set up to encourage
the exchange of information and experience between the
Member States and the Commission, should include
representatives exercising relevant responsibility in small
and medium-sized companies involved in innovation and
technology transfer. Such firms can be identified through
the smaller business organizations of Member States.
Whilst recognizing the role which must be played by
experts it is vital that the practical experience of
representatives of SMEs is available to these working

groups.

1.9. Finally, the Committee urges the Commission to
make sure that the management of the proposed programme involves effective coordination between all
relevant Directorates General and, not the least, the Task
Force for SMEs.

2. Specific comments

2.1. The Committee draws particular attention to the
ICONE Programme to dissemintate information on
technical standards and regulations on a Community-wide
scale (Action 7). It regards this as one of the key activities
supporting the creation of an internal market by 1992, and
it urges the Council to ensure that this activity is adequately
funded. If funding under this programme should prove
inadequate the Committee suggests that the Commission
propose this as a separate, clearly defined activity
preferably to be funded as a shared-cost project with
Member State institutions.

2.2. As far as the financing of the programme is
concerned this will largely be done by shared-cost contracts
in which the Commission share will be limited to a

maximum of 50 %, the total cost of the action proposed
thus being around 22 000 000 ECU of which half will be
provided from Member State organizations acting as
contractors to the Commission.

2.2.1. The Committee urges the Commission to ensure
that a number of specific guidelines suggested in its
Opinion of 21 May 1986 (EC-shared cost research,
development and demonstration programmes) be observed
for the current programme.

2.2.2. However, the Committee recommends that the
Commission in exceptional circumstances consider funding in excess of 50 % in particularly important cases which
otherwise would have no chance of being implemented.

2.2.3. In the interest of a one-speed Europe the
Committee invites the Commission to set up adequate
programmes for developing innovation infrastructure,
where necessary, to enable Member States with weaker
infrastructures to participate fully in transnational projects
under the SPRINT programme. The Committee understands that in the first two years of operation of the current
programme some 5 % of funding has been so expended,
but suggests that this level be evaluated and if necessary,
raised.

2.2.4. The Committee is pleased that the Commission in
line with its earlier proposal proposes to launch a
cooperative network to promote design in recognition of
the importance of industrial design in new competitive
products.

2.2.5. It also supports the action concerning dissemination of information regarding industrial property and
innovation which is in keeping with one of the recommendations for action made in the abovementioned Report.

2.2.6. To enable SMEs to innovate effectively and be
ready to take risks, there is in the Committee's view a

No C 83/6 Official Journal of the European Communities 30. 3. 87

fundamental need for much greater access for SMEs to long
term patient money with preferential rates of interest for
these businesses in order to inspire Confidence and certainty
about the cash flow cost of the investment. It is vital to get
away from the concept promoted by venture capitalists that
it must be possible for an investment to be realized within
four to seven years at a handsome gain if a business is to be
regarded as successful and worth investment. Without a
long term view of investment it will not be possible for
SMEs to take full advantage in practice of innovation and
technology transfer, which will be the basis of any
significant recovery of the economies of the Community.
The Commission should therefore consider the need for

low cost long term loans (up to 160 000 ECUs) to
encourage investment by SMEs in the latest technology —
either by loans through the European Investment Bank
raised in international capital markets at low rates of
interest, or through NIC 4 moneys with an interest subsidy,
channelled through to banks at Member State level.

2.2.7. The Committee urges the Council to ensure that
the Commission propose an effective independent evaluation technique which is applicable to all existing and
proposed areas of expenditure in the SPRINT programme.
The Commission should be asked to use these techniques to
determine the value to the Community obtained from the
expenditure.

Done at Brussels, 28 January 1987.

2.2.7.1. The Committee feels that such techniques must
be established concurrently with the current programmes
so that they may be built into the wider SPRINT II
successor programme envisaged by the Commission.

2.2.7.2. As an example the Committee suggests that
known awareness evaluation techniques be applied to a
cross section of Member State SMEs to establish the

effectiveness of actions to disseminate information taken

under this programme.

2.2.7.3. In this respect the Committee welcomes the
Commission proposal to carry out in each Member State an
interim assessment of the actions taken so far under the

Plan.

2.2.8. The Committee commends the initiative of the

Commission in preparing leaflets on the individual
programmes of SPRINT in three languages together with a
point of contact in the Commission for further information.

2.2.8.1. The Committee would like to see this mecha
nism extended so that the Commission leaflets are

distributed by appropriate organizations in each Member
State and thereby reach the audience for which they are
designed.

_The Chairman_

_of the Economic and Social_ _Committee_

Alfons MARGOT

Opinion on the proposal for a Council Decision adopting the European Community Action
Scheme for the Mobility of University Students (Erasmus)

(87/C 83/05)

On 22 December 1986 the Council, acting in accordance with Article 198 of the Treaty setting up
the European Economic Community, asked the Economic and Social Committee for an Opinion on
the abovementioned proposal.

The Section for Social, Family, Educational and Cultural Affairs was instructed to prepare the
Committee's work on the matter. The Section adopted its Opinion on 15 January 1987 after
hearing a report by Mr Pearson.