Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

20. 1.88 Official Journal of the European Communities N o C 15/13

Proposal for a Council Decision revising the multiannual research action programme for the
European Economic Community in the field of biotechnology (1985 to 1989)

_COM(87) 481 final/2_

_(Submitted by the Commission to the Council on 29 October 1987)_

(88/C 15/05)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Economic Community, and in particular Article 130 Q
(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 130 K of the Treaty provides that the
Framework Programme is to be implemented through
specific programmes developed within each activity;
whereas the Council, when adopting the Framework
Programme of Community activities in technological
R & D (1987 to 1991), recognized the interest of
exploitation and valorization of biological resources, and
particularly biotechnology;

Whereas the Council Decision 85/195/EEC (')
introduced a multiannual research and training action
programme for the European Economic Community in
the field of biotechnology; whereas Article 3 of that
Decision makes provision for the programme to be
revised as from its second year of implementation;

Whereas the re-examination which has been undertaken

and whose conclusions where transmitted to the Council
on 21 May 1986 ( [2] ) has led the Commission to present a
proposal for the revision of the programme motivated by
the need to ensure its adequacy to the objective assigned
to it;

Whereas the implementation of the research and training
programme for the European Economic Community in
the field of biotechnology has proved to be insufficient
as yet for setting up, on a scale commensurate with the
multiple implications of biotechnology in agriculture,
industry and the environment, of transnational
cooperation networks addressing the various levels of
risk and their evaluation;

Whereas the area of bio-informatics requires both to
ascertain the constitution of integrated networks for the
storage, circulation and treatment of biological data, and
to stimulate further computer-aided approaches in
biotechnological research;

(') OJNo L83, 25. 3. 1985, p. 1.
( [2] ) COM(86) 272 final.

Whereas it is necessary to step up training activities and
to evolve training schemes including, in particular, the
organization of short intensive workshops, allowing
research scientists in the Member States to benefit from

all the research facilities and scientific expertise in the
Community;

Whereas it is essential to increase the involvement of

Community industry in the activities and results originating from the research work under contract;

Whereas it is necessary to step up the concertation
activities carried out, alongside the Community research
and training effort, to improve national and Community
activity in the field of biotechnology;

Whereas the recent emergence of certain critical areas of
biological sciences (e.g. genome mapping and
sequencing, and the exploitation thereof) means that
Community biotechnology is relatively weak unless
exploratory activity can be rapidly initiated before a new
programme in biotechnology R & D (1990 to 1994) is
prepared;

Whereas it is necessary to ensure participation by Spain
and Portugal in the activities envisaged by the

programme;

Whereas the Scientific and Technical Research

Committee (CREST) has expressed its opinion,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

_Article 1_

The research action programme for the European
Economic Community in the field of biotechnology
(1985 to 1989) is hereby revised on the basis of the
specifications in the Annex.

_Article 2_

The funds necessary to increase and expand the activities
as planned in this revision, to which must be added the
funds already allocated to the programme, are estimated
at 20 million ECU, including expenditure on an
additional staff of five.

No C 15/14 Official Journal of the European Communities 20.1.88

_ANNEX_

REVISION OF THE MULTIANNUAL RESEARCH ACTION PROGRAMME FOR THE

EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY IN THE FIELD OF BIOTECHNOLOGY

(1985 to 1989)

— Intensification of the current research effort in the sector of the programme that concerns the
assessment of risks associated with modern biotechnology, and particularly with the deliberate release
of genetically engineered organisms.

— Intensification of the current research effort in the area of information technology with emphasis upon
processing data related to culture collections, genome sequences and protein modelling.

— Increase in the volume of current activities (visits, publications, electronic networks, meetings, summer
workshops, etc.) aiming at a timely dessemination of information on the programme and of research
results; involvement of Community industry in the research activities and in the utilization of the data,
materials and methods stemming from the research work under contract.

— Studies and feasibility pilot projects for the preparation of future Community R & D activities in
biotechnology during the period 1990 to 1994.

— Increase in training activities in all parts of the current programme.

— Matching of resources (manpower) for the concertation activity to the requirements defined in the

programme.

— Extension to Spain and Portugal of the totality of the activities envisaged by the programme.