Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

20. 12. 89 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 318/5

Proposal for a Council Decision adopting a specific research and technological development
programme in the field of transport _(EURET)_ 1990-1993

_COM(89) 557 final_ — _SYN 226_

_(Submitted by the Commission to the Council on 28 November 1989)_

(89/C 318/05)

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 opininon 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 ('), the
Council has adopted a framework programme of
Community research and technological development
(1987-1991), providing, _inter alia,_ for activities in the
field of _transport;_

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 completion of the internal market will require
the transport system as a whole to meet the increased
demand for the carriage of goods and persons, and to do
so as efficiently, economically and with as little damage
to the environment as possible and in a manner benefiting the least favoured regions;

Whereas technological innovation can make an
important contribution to the efficiency and competitiveness of the various modes of transport and can
improve their safety and reduce their negative environmental impact;

Whereas cooperation in research enables progress to be
made towards the standardization, compatibility and, in
some cases, unification of transport networks;

Whereas small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
should be involved as far as possible in developing new
transport technology; whereas account should be taken
of their particular needs without prejudice to the
scientific and technical quality of the programme;

Whereas the transnational nature of the programme
should be emphasized by selecting research projects
involving at least two partners from two different
Member States;

Whereas Community transport technology may be
enhanced by the participation — under appropriate
conditions — of organizations and undertakings from
non-member countries in Europe which have concluded
cooperation agreements with the Community relating to
scientific and technical research and development;

Whereas an estimate must be made of the total

Community financing required for this programme;
whereas this amount appears in the financial perspective
set out in the Annex to the Interinstitutional Agreement
of 29 June 1988 ( [2] ); whereas the funds actually available
will be determined in the budgetary procedure in
accordance with that Agreement;

Whereas the Scientific and Technical Research

Committee (CREST), has been consulted,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

_Article 1_

A specific research and technological development
programme for the European Economic Community in
the field of transport, as defined in the Annex, is hereby
adopted for a period of four years, from 1 March 1990.

(!) OJ No L 302, 24. 10. 1987, p. 1. ( [2] ) OJ No L 185, 15. 7. 1988, p. 33.

No C 318/6 Official Journal of the European Communities 20. 12. 89

_Article 2_

1. The total Community expenditure considered
necessary for the implementation of the programme is
ECU 25 million, including expenditure for a staff of six

persons.

2. The budget authority shall determine the funds
available for each year.

_Article 3_

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

_Article 4_

1. In the third year of the implementation of the
programme, the Commission shall undertake a review of
the programme and it 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 reports referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall
be established having regard to the objectives set out in
the Annex hereto and in conformity with the provisions
of Article 2 (2) of Decision 87/516/Euratom, EEC.

_Article 5_

The Commission shall be assisted by a committee
composed of the representatives of the Member States
and chaired by the representative of the Commission.

_Article 6_

The representative of the Commission shall submit to the
committee a draft of the 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 7_

The procedure laid down in Article 6 shall apply:

— to the evaluation of the proposed projects and of the
estimated amount of the Community's financial
contribution;

— to the definition of appropriate procedures for the
exchange of information proveded for in Article 9;

— to the participation in any project or scheme by
European organizations and undertakings under the
conditions provided for in Article 10.

_Article 8_

The contracts enterd 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 9_

In respect of the activities provided for in Article 1, the
Member States and the Community shall exchange all
relevant information available to them and which may be
divulged, in the fields covered by this Decision, whether
or not the activities in question are planned or carried
out under their authority.

The information shall be exchanged in accordance with
the procedure laid down in Article 6; at the request of
the interested party such information shall be deemed
confidential.

_Article 10_

1. The Commission is authorised to negotiate, in
accordance with Article 130n of the Treaty, agreements
with international organizations, those non-member
countries participating in European cooperation in the
field of Scientific and Technological Research (COST)
and those European countries which have concluded
framework agreements for scientific and technical
cooperation with the Community, with a view to associating them wholly or partly with the programme.

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

_Article 11_

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

^0 1^ ^ C O ^ c ^ l ] o u r n ^ l o ^ r i i ^ E u r o ^ ^ n C o r n r r i L i n ^ n ^ ^ o C 3 1 ^ B 7

A ^ ^ ^ L

t ODJe^ves

Completion of the internal market is inconceivable without a Community transport system capable of
responding to the resulting increase in demand, in volume and qualitative terms, for all types of transport

TheCommissionemphasizedthis point initscommumcationtotheCouncilon makingasuccessof the
Single European Act ^CCO^t^) 100),pointing out t h a t ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ c ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ r ^ c ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

^ut policies and legislation will not be enough without technical progress to follow them up or if
nonEuropeancountriesgam most fromthee^tra boost totechnicalmnovation

Against thisbackground,researchwith anaddedCommumtydimension, contributing towards thestan
dardizationof equipment and systemsanddirectedtowardscommonob^ectivesis vital

tn this content, EO^ET has three main objectives

— optimum network exploitation

— logistics

— reduction of harmful externalities

Until the early t^^Os financial resources were the only limit to infrastructure building Things have
changed since then Although demand will keep growing steadily for the foreseeable future, the limit to
expansion of the infrastructure network has been reached besides even greater financial difficulties than
in the past, saturation point is steadily being reached as it becomes harder and harder tofmd room for
new infrastructure and the resistance to the damage wrought on the environment intensifies

tt is therefore essential to make full use of the infrastructure already in place

Considerable research is being done in this field,eg the t0^.1VE programme based on the idea that,via
modern dataprocessing and telecommunications systems, vehicle drivers can receive advice, warnings,
information about road conditions and the best route to take, etc Some of the work being done under
the EO^oE^A programme is ofasimilar kind Existing and future technology makes this idea perfectly
feasible

r^owever,the same arguments apply equally strongly to other modes where there is^ust as much need
andchanceof progress and whereCommumtyresearchmustbebroughttobearin the same way to
keep to the Commumty^sconstant objective of e^ual treatment for all modes of transport

E o r t h i s r e a s o n, a n d m v i e w o f t h e l a c k o f funds currentlyavailable,theprogrammeconcentrates on
priority research only

lustasthehmitstoe^pansionof themfrastructurecallforoptimumnetworke^ploitanon, changesin
production processes and trade in turn call for new methods of managing the vehicle fleet, or transport
logistics^

These new services will affect first the duality demanded and second the vehicles deployed to satisfy this
demand C^ualityof serviceembracesspeed,punctuahty,safety and, now, information, particularyon
the location of goods Concerning the position of vehicles different techi^ues are under examination in
theframeworkof the tO^tVEprogramme Transport is becoming an integral part of the production
process, withcarnerse^pectedtoprovide acomple^ wider rangmgservice, mcludinghandhng, stock
management and order processing

N o C 318/8 Official Journal of the European Communities 20. 12. 89

Hauliers now play a greater role in organizing deliveries from a freight services centre with the aid of a
network of consignors and consignees. The traditional modal split is giving way to a broader, more
complex approach including every mode and looking beyond more physical movement of goods.

3. _Reduction of harmful externalities_

Transport has many adverse side-effects which must be reduced.

The scale and severity of the accidents reported bear witness to the importance of safety and working
conditions in the transport sector. Other modes of transport are just as dangerous. Rail accidents are,
fortunately, much rarer, but the recent spate serves as a reminder to remain on the alert and never to
become complacent.

Air transport has achieved a level of safety which makes flying one of the safest methods of travel; yet it
still presents considerable risks. Air crashes happen rarely but, when they do, they leave no escape for
large numbers of passengers. Jumbo jet crashes claim hundreds of victims. It is worth mentioning that,
between 1984 and 1988, an average of 940 persons per year died in aircraft accidents — and this figure
does not include deaths caused by terrorist attacks, hijackings, etc. The numbers involved are very small
compared to the total number of passengers carried, but they could be reduced even further.

Shipping, too, has its share of accidents — and these can also be very serious, particularly in terms of the
damage they cause to the environment.

Finally, transport is one of the chief sources of pollution. Car exhausts are to blame for almost half the
gaseous pollution in towns and cities. Although much is known about their carbon dioxide and
monoxide content, very little has been discovered about the oxides of nitrogen. Every mode of transport
is noisy. Road traffic may be the most all-pervading, but railways too are very noisy, not to mention
airports. All the developed countries, particularly in the Community, spend heavily on pollution
abatement. It is important to use these sums more efficiently.

Some of the research directed at optimum network exploitation and logistics is helping to tackle these
problems. Improved air and shipping traffic management also helps, and the main aim of the DRIVE
programme is to improve road safety.

However, more specific research is required. Most work needs to be done and many projects deserve
support. Only those having the highest priority are included in the EURET programme.

2. Priority themes

EURET covers eleven research topics, grouped into three subprogrammes which correspond to the
programme's three objectives.

1. _Optimum network exploitation_

— Cost-benefit and multi-criteria analysis for new road construction;

— European rail traffic management conception;

— Design and assessment of a vessel traffic management system;

— Trials in automated air/ground data exchange for air traffic management systems in Europe;

— Study on the controller working position in air traffic management systems in Europe.

2. _Logistics_

— Economic scenario and demand projections for freight transport of the Community;

— Economic and technical research of the transfer of goods. Design and evaluation of rapid transfer;

20. 12. 89 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 318/9

— Optimization of manpower in maritime transport;

— Taking human factors into consideration in man/ship system.

3. _Reduction_ _of_ _harmful externalities_

— Improved methods for evaluating the road safety of car and trailer trains;

— Assessment of the driving safety of possible truck and trailer combinations.

3. Implementation

The programme shall be implemented by means of: shared-cost research contracts, concerted actions and
assessments.

The programmes are open to universities, research organizations and industrial companies, including small
and medium-sized enterprises, individuals, or any combination thereof established in the Community. As a
rule projects must be transnational.

The association and involvement of non-member countries, international and national organizations will be
founded on the criterion of mutual advantage. In the case of European non-member countries, their association and involvement will be made possible through the COST system and through the bilateral
framework agreements with EFTA countries.

For shared-cost contracts, the Community participation will generally be 50 % of the total expenditure, but
this percentage may be varied according to the nature and the stage of development of the research. In
respect of universities and research institutes carrying out projects, the Community may bear up to 100 %
of the additional expenditure involved.