Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

**COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES**

**Brussels, 09.04.1997**
COM(97) 155 final

96/ 0034 (COD)

**OPINION OF THE COMMISSION**

**pursuant to Article 189 b (2) (d) of the EC Treaty,**

**on the European Parliament's amendments**
**to the Council's common position regarding the**

**proposal for a**
**EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL DECISION**

**adapting for the second time**

**Decision No** **1110/94/EC** **concerning the Fourth Framework Programme of the**

###### **European Community of activities in the field of research,**

**technological development and demonstration** **(1994-1998)**

**1.** **Introduction**

On 2 February 1996 the Commission submitted to the Council and Parliament a
proposal for a Decision adapting for the second time Decision No 1110/94/EC
concerning the Fourth RTD Framework Programme, as amended by
Decision 616/96/EC. This proposal for additional funding [COM(96)12] was subject
to revision of the financial perspective.

The European Parliament gave its opinion on this proposal on 18 June 1996.

In the absence of revision of the financial perspective, the Commission revised its
proposal by letter dated 13 November 1996 from Mrs Cresson to the Council and the
European Parliament and confirmed at the Council meeting on research on 5
December 1996. Without prejudice to the conclusions of the budget procedure for
1997, the revised proposal cut the amount of additional funding to ECU 100 million
for selective refinancing of specific themes under the first activity in the Fourth
Framework Programme.

On this basis, the Council adopted its common position on 27 January 1997.

The Commission gave its opinion on the Council's common position in its
communication dated 27 January 1997 to the European Parliament [SEC(97)107
final]. On 13 March 1997 the European Parliament concluded its second reading and
proposed five amendments to the common position.

2. **Commission opinion**

First, the Commission is pleased to note the special effort made by Parliament to
complete its second reading within one month of receiving the common position. The
Commission shares Parliament's opinion on the urgent need for a definitive decision
on the additional funding to bring it into operation and avoid any interference with
the discussions on the Fifth Framework Programme.

The Commission is also interested to note that Parliament opted to make a limited
number of amendments on second reading. This was possible because the positions
had already been brought closer together in the course of the codecision procedure.
In this way, following an amendment proposed by Parliament on first reading, the
Council's common position included the theme "detection and destruction of
landmines", a change endorsed by Parliament. Parliament also accepted the urgent
_need_ and importance of stepping up the research on transmissible spongiform
encephalopathies, as advocated in the common position. Despite the divergence
between the Council and Parliament on the overall amount and breakdown of the
additional funding, the Commission therefore considers that the bases for a definitive
agreement exist. In order to allow a compromise to emerge between Parliament and
the Council in the next few weeks, the Commission wishes to take none of
Parliament's amendments into account at this stage, greatly though it sympathizes
with their objectives. The Commission feels that the amendments should be
considered and discussed constructively within the Council Against this

**- 2 -**

**background, the Commission also plans to leave a sufficient margin in its preliminary**
**draft budget for 1998 to enable the budgetary authority to go beyond the ECU**
**100** **million already entered in the** **1997** **budget.**

**In conclusion, the Commission reconfirms its will to contribute to formulation of a**
**satisfactory, comprehensive agreement between the Council and Parliament.**

##### ISSN 0254-1475

### COM(97) 155 final

# **DOCUMENTS**

#### EN 15 01 16 Catalogue number : CB-CO-97-143-EN-C ISBN 92-78-18110-2

Office for Official Publications of the European Communities

L-2985 Luxembourg

## **_U_**