CELEX: 51990PC0158
Language: en
Date: 1990-05-28
Title: PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL DECISION ADOPTING A SPECIFIC RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME IN THE FIELD OF ENVIRONMENT ( 1990-1994 )

N o C 174/40                            Official Journal of the European Communities                                       16. 7. 90
               A favourable technical evaluation of such proposals shall not by itself be a sufficient justification for
               accepting a project; this exceptional procedure may only apply after verification that the nature of the
               project, as defined above, does not justify the use of the normal procedure for calls for proposals.
               The exceptional procedure must be completed before the ordinary procedure in such a way that the
               available amount for the Community's financial participation in projects retained by the ordinary
               procedure can be determined precisely. The closing date for the exceptional procedure shall be published
               each year in the Official Journal of the European Communities.
               The amount of the financial participation of the Community for all the projects retained by the exceptional
               procedure will be decided each year, in relation to the projects selected according to particularly strict
               criteria of excellence. In any case, this amount may not exceed 15%; it may be revised each year in the
               light of experience.
               The Commission shall draw up a vade mecum setting out all the rules applicable to this exceptional
               procedure in order to guarantee full transparency.
            5. The projects must involve at least two mutually independent partners established in different Member
               States.
            6. The Commission may encourage the participants to form a European Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG)
               or make other arrangements for carrying out projects, such as those on a large scale, permitting
               decentralized management adapted to the specific requirements of the project.
            7. The knowledge acquired during the course of the projects shall be disseminated on the one hand within
               the specific programme and on the other and by means of a centralized activity, pursuant to the Decision
               referred to in the third subparagraph of Article 4 of Decision 90/221/Euratom, EEC.
             Proposal for a Council Decision adopting a specific research and technological development
                                    programme in the field of environment (1990 to 1994)
                                                 COM(90) 158 final — SYN 263
                                        (Submitted    by the Commission       on 3 May 1990)
                                                            (90/C 174/06)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,                                Title VII of the Treaty; whereas this decision should be
                                                                        taken in the light of the grounds set out in the preamble
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European                   to that Decision;
Economic Community, and in particular Article 130q
(2) thereof,                                                            Whereas Article 130k of the Treaty stipulates that the
                                                                        framework programme is to be implemented through
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,                      specific programmes developed within each activity;
In cooperation with the European Parliament,                            Whereas the Joint Research Centre shall contribute
                                                                        through its own programme to the implementation of
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and                        the aforesaid activities;
Social Committee,
                                                                        Whereas an estimate should be made of the amount of
Whereas by Decision 90/221/Euratom, EEC( 1 ), the                       Community financial resources needed to carry out this
Council adopted a third framework programme for                         specific programme; whereas the definitive amounts
Community activities in the field of research and tech-                 will be fixed by the budgetary authority in line with
nological development (1990 to 1994), specifying inter                  the financial perspectives covering the period 1988 to
alia the activities to be pursued for developing the                    1992 included in the Interinstitutional Agreement of
scientific knowledge and technical know-how needed                      29 June 1988 (2) and with any future financial perspec-
by the Community, in particular to carry out its role                   tives covering the period 1993 to 1994;
relating to the environment according to Part Three,
(!) OJ No L 117, 8. 5. 1990, p. 28.                                     (2) OJ No L 185, 15. 7. 1988, p. 33.
 ---pagebreak---   16. 7. 90                          Official Journal of the European Communities                           No C 174/41
  Whereas, pursuant to Article 4 of and Annex I to             directing research activities towards an understanding
  Decision 90/221/Euratom, EEC, the amount deemed              of the fundamental mechanisms of the environment,
  necessary for the whole framework programme includes         while contributing to the preparation of quality and
  an amount of ECU 57 million for the centralized dis-         safety standards;
  semination and exploitation of results, to be divided up
  in proportion to the amount envisaged for each activity;
  whereas in view of the importance of this specific           Whereas the Scientific and Technical Research Com-
  programme within the 'Environment' action the esti-          mittee (Crest) has been consulted,
  mate of the financial resources needed by this pro-
  gramme is to be reduced by ECU 2 600 000, which
  amount is to be allocated to the centralized activities,
  in order to comply with the second sentence of Article       HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
  130p (2) of the Treaty;
                                                                                        Article 1
  Whereas this programme must be implemented by the
  Commission; whereas, to help accomplish this, the            A specific research and technological development pro-
  Member States are bound, pursuant to Article 5 of the        gramme for the European Economic Community in the
  Treaty, to facilitate the achievement of its tasks, where    field of environment, as defined in Annex I, is hereby
  necessary, notably within a committee;                       adopted for a period of five years as from 1 January
                                                                1990.
 Whereas this programme must be implemented essen-
 tially by the selection of research and development
 projects to enable them to benefit from Community                                      Article 2
 participation; whereas the Commission should encour-
 age the submission of such projects by the usual means        1. The Community funds estimated as necessary for
 of publishing calls for proposals in the Official Journal     the execution of the programme under this Decision
 of the European Communities; whereas a special pro-           amount to ECU 414 million. This amount includes ECU
 cedure should also be devised so as to maintain a degree      260 million for the execution of the activities approved
 of flexibility enabling the Commission, in the face of        by the present Decision, and ECU 154 million for the
 the continuous evolution and gradual acceleration of          activities which the JRC will contribute to the pro-
 technological progress, also to take into consideration       gramme and which will be subject of a separate decision
 spontaneous proposals consistent with the objectives of       of the Council.
 the programme;
                                                               2. From the above sum of ECU 260 million, an
 Whereas the projects to be carried out under the pro-         amount of ECU 2 600 000 is drawn for the centralized
 gramme must be selected with special attention to the         action of dissemination and exploitation. The funds
 principle of economic and social cohesion in the Com-         thus reduced to ECU 257 400 000 include staff cost,
 munity, the transnational nature of the projects and          which may amount to a maximum of 4 %.
 the support to be given to small and medium-sized
 enterprises;
                                                               3. An indicative allocation of funds is set out in
 Whereas it is only in the light of experience gathered        Annex II.
 in the course of this programme that the Commission
 will be able to propose and the Council to adopt sup-         4. Should the Council take a decision in implemen-
 plementary programmes by having recourse to the               tation of Article 1 (4) of Decision 90/221/Euratom,
 means provided for in Articles 1301, 130m or 130o of          EEC, this decision shall be adapted to take account of
 the Treaty, if they contribute to the achievement of the      the abovementioned Decision.
 programme's objectives, in accordance with the option
 made available by Article 2 (2) of Decision 90/221/
 Euratom, EEC;                                                 5. The budgetary authority shall decide on the appro-
                                                               priations available for each financial year.
 Whereas, in accordance with Article 130g of the Treaty,
 the Community's activities aimed at strengthening the
 scientific and technological basis of European industry                               Article 3
 and encouraging it to become more competitive include
 promoting cooperation on research and technological           Rules for the implementation of the programme are set
development with third countries and international             out in Annex III.
organizations; whereas such cooperation may prove
particularly beneficial for the development of this pro-
gramme;                                                                                Article 4
Whereas it is necessary, as Annex II to Decision               The rate of the Community financial contribution shall
90/221/Euratom, EEC, provides, to take protection of           be laid down in accordance with Annex IV to Decision
the environment and the quality of life into account by        90/221/Euratom, EEC.
 ---pagebreak---   No C 174/42                        Official Journal of the European Communities                                16. 7. 90
                         Article 5                                                       Article 8
  1. During 1992 the Commission shall review the pro-          1. The procedure laid down in Article 7 shall apply
  gramme and address a report on the results of the            to:
  review to the Council and the European Parliament,
  together with proposals for any necessary changes.               the preparation and updating of the work pro-
                                                                   grammes referred to in Article 6 (3),
  2. At the end of the programme the Commission shall              evaluation of the projects referred to in point 2 of
  assess the results obtained. It shall address a report           Annex III, as well as the estimated amount of the
  thereon to the Council and the European Parliament.              Community's financial contribution when these
                                                                   projects are submitted through the ordinary pro-
                                                                   cedure referred to in point 4 of Annex III and the
  3. The reports shall be drawn up having regard to the            abovementioned amount is more than ECU
  objectives set out in Annex I to this Decision and               5 million,
  in accordance with Article 2 (4) of Decision 90/221/
  Euratom, EEC.                                                    evaluation of all projects submitted through the
                                                                   exceptional procedure referred to in point 4 of
                                                                   Annex III, as well as the estimated amount of the
                                                                   Community's financial contribution,
                         Article 6                                 measures for evaluating the programme.
  1. The Commission shall be responsible for the
 execution of the programme. It shall be assisted by           2. The Commission may consult the Committee on
 an advisory committee, hereinafter referred to as 'the        any matter falling within the scope of the programme.
 Committee', composed of representatives of the Mem-
 ber States and chaired by a representative of the Com-
  mission.                                                     3. The Commission shall inform the Committee with
                                                               regard to:
 2. The contracts concluded by the Commission shall            — the progress of the programme,
 govern the rights and obligations of each party, includ-
 ing the procedures for disseminating, protecting and          — draft calls for proposals, referred to in Article 6 (3),
 exploiting the research results, in accordance with the
 arrangements adopted pursuant to the second para-             — projects, referred to in point 2 of Annex III, submit-
 graph of Article 130k of the Treaty.                               ted through the ordinary procedure, for which the
                                                                    Community contribution is less than ECU 5 million,
                                                                    and the results of their evaluation,
 3. A work programme for each year shall be drawn
 up and updated where necessary. It shall set out the          — accompanying measures, referred to in point 2 of
 detailed objectives and types of projects to be under-             Annex III,
 taken, and the financial arrangements to be made for
 them. The Commission shall make calls for proposals           — concerted actions, referred to in point 2 of Annex III.
 for projects on the basis of the annual work pro-
 grammes.
                                                                                         Article 9
                         Article 7                             In implementing this programme, supplementary pro-
                                                               grammes within the meaning of Article 1301, partici-
 1. In the cases referred to in Article 8 (1), the represen-   pation within the meaning of Article 130m and joint
 tative of the Commission shall submit to the Committee        undertakings or any other structures within the mean-
 a draft of the measures to be taken. The Committee            ing of Article 130o of the Treaty may also be decided
shall deliver its opinion on this within a time limit          on as the need arises.
which the chairman may set in accordance with the
urgency of the matter, if necessary by holding a vote.
                                                                                        Article 10
2. The opinion shall be entered in the minutes; in
addition, each Member State shall have the right to ask        Where cooperation with third countries and inter-
for its position to appear in the minutes.                     national organizations aiming at achieving the objec-
                                                               tives of this programme requires legal undertakings
                                                               between the Community and the third parties con-
3. The Commission shall take the fullest account of            cerned, the Commission shall be authorized to nego-
the opinion delivered by the Committee. It shall inform        tiate, in accordance with Article 130n of the Treaty,
the Committee of the way in which it has taken account         international agreements laying down the terms of such
of the opinion.                                                cooperation.
 ---pagebreak--- 16. 7. 90                                Official Journal of the European Communities                                    No C 174/43
Decisions on the conclusion of such agreements shall                                              Article 11
be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred
to in Article 130q (2) of the Treaty.                                   This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
                                                                ANNEX 1
                                          Scientific and technical objectives and content
             This specific programme fully reflects the approach embodied in the third Framework Programme in terms
             of the scientific and technical goals and the underlying aims which it pursues.
             Paragraphs 3A, 3B, 3D and 3E of Annex II to the Framework Programme form an integral part of the present
             specific programme.
             The actions envisaged will enable large projects to be undertaken to complement and strengthen the activities
             of the ongoing environment research programmes, the aim being to respond rapidly to the scientific challenges
             which arise from global change and to provide continuity in the scientific support to the environmental
             policy of the Community.
             The following presents an analytical description of the content of the programme, based on and taking
             account of the above elements.
             Area 1: Participation in global change programmes
             The goal is to contribute to understanding the processes governing environmental change and to assess the
             impact of human activities. Community participation will be concentrated on problems which will have an
             impact on environment policy and in areas where the Community is best placed to ensure European
             coordination in the framework of large international programmes while taking account of national pro-
             grammes.
             Natural climatic change
             The objective is to reconstruct and model the evolution of the climate system in the past in order to
             understand better how the system may evolve subject to forcing factors of human origin.
            Taking advantage of deep ice cores to be recovered in the next years, research will aim at the reconstruction
            and modelling of the quaternary climatic cycles. In particular, the last climatic cycle should be accurately
             reconstructed, in order to understand and model the onset of the most recent glaciation.
            Anthropogenic climate change
            Research will be carried out to understand, describe and forecast climatic change resulting from the enhanced
            greenhouse effect due to human activities, in order to provide the scientific basis for preventive or adaptive
            measures.
            A major project will be launched on the development, testing and intercomparison of integrated high-
            resolution global change models coupling the atmosphere (including clouds), the ocean, the biosphere and
            the cryosphere, taking advantage of modern supercomputer and computer-linking techniques.
            Climate change impacts
            The aim is to forecast the physical and human impacts of the foreseen climate change in the European
            Community.
             The emphasis will be on the quantitative assessment and modelling of the impacts of the foreseen climate
             change, especially the sea level rise and its consequences for European towns and low-lying coastal areas,
             and the impacts on European agriculture, water resources and other sectors of the European economy
             (tourism, land use, energy, transport, etc.).
 ---pagebreak--- No C 174/44                           Official Journal of the European Communities                                         16. 7. 90
           Stratospheric ozone
           Work will aim at understanding and forecasting processes which lead to the depletion of stratospheric ozone
           and the consequences of this depletion and the provision of the scientific basis for preventive measures.
           New activities will include arctic campaigns in 1991 to 1992 and 1992 to 1993 to identify possible ozone
           depletion. In parallel, data collection from a network of ground measurement stations will be coordinated,
           complemented by measurements from mobile stations and by laboratory research on pertinent chemical
           reactions. These activities will be accompanied by the modelling of stratospheric processes, including the
           consequences of emission scenarios, and by the assessment of the ecological and health effects of increased
           UV-B radiation.
           Tropospheric physics and chemistry
           Research will be carried out to elucidate important physico-chemical processes in the troposphere as a basis
           for the definition of preventive measures. New approaches to the understanding of tropospheric ozone, OH
           and NOy chemistry will include coordinated clean-air measurement campaigns as well as modelling work
           combining meteorological and chemical models. These activities will be extended to natural emissions such
           as terpenes and other hydrocarbons and sulphur and halogen containing compounds.
           Biogeochemical cycles
          Work will aim at deepening the understanding of biogeochemical cycles and their disturbances by human
          activities and providing the scientific basis for preventive and remedial actions.
          The material balance for chemical elements will be established in a network of inland catchment areas. The
          study of the sources and pathways of natural and anthropogenic compounds in the European estuarine/
          coastal environment will be extended from the Mediterranean to other coastal areas. Emphasis will be given
          to regional projects of global importance, where appropriate in close cooperation with the marine sciences
          and technologies programme.
          Ecosystem dynamics
          The aim is to understand and forecast the interaction of global change and the dynamics of continental
          ecosystems and to provide a scientific basis for preventive and adaptive policies. The new element is the
          holistic approach to the investigation of important types of ecosystems such as wetlands and seminatural
          ecosystems. The global impact of exploitation and clearing of tropical forests and grassland and the loss of
          biological and genetic diversity will receive particular attention, in close coordination with the biotechnology
          programme.
          Area 2: Technologies and engineering for the environment
          The objective is to promote better environmental quality standards by encouraging technological innovation
          at the pre-competitive level. The two main lines of research in this field will be environmental monitoring,
          including remote sensing applications, and the development of techniques and systems to protect and
          rehabilitate the environment. Support to the activities of the future European environment agency will be an
          important consideration in this research area.
          Assessment of environmental quality and monitoring
          Research will contribute to the development of advanced equipment and analytical methods for high
          performance environmental monitoring systems.
          Research will aim at the development of both airborne and ground-based methods and instruments for
          measuring atmospheric constituents and the design of advanced methods for the assessment of environmental
         quality. The analysis of emissions, of waste, of water and of liquid effluents will receive particular attention.
         The development and testing of monitoring and alert systems for natural hazards such as seismic and volcanic
         phenomena, landslides, storms and floods, and forest fires will also be covered.
          Technologies for protecting and rehabilitating the environment
         Work will be carried out to contribute to the development of technologies for protecting and rehabilitating
         the environment including all the main aspects of urban environment. Research concerned with the treatment
 ---pagebreak--- 16. 7. 90                                Official Journal of the European Communities                                      No C 174/45
            and disposal of toxic waste and of liquid effluents and the recycling of urban and industrial wastes will be
           complemented by the development of low-emission and low-waste technologies for selected industrial sectors.
            Research aiming at the prevention of major industrial and transport accidents through a greater understanding
            of hazard phenomena will be widened to include the validation of methodologies of assessing risk and the
            development of low risk alternative technologies and sophisticated process control and detection systems.
            For the monuments and objects which are components of European cultural heritage, research will quantify
            the causes and mechanisms of deterioration; new methods of condition assessment will be developed, and
           the scientific basis for treatments and materials for conservation will be strengthened.
            Activities in this area will be coordinated with the Eureka project Euro-Environ and research teams funded
            by the programme will participate in the Eureka project Eurocare.
           Area 3: Research on economic and social aspects of environmental issues
           The general objective is to improve the understanding of the legal, economic, ethical and health aspects of
           environmental policy and management.
           Research will address critical areas of environmental social science and environmental economics research,
           ranging from basic development of methods and concepts and their application to environmental issues, to
           their incorporation into specific Community sectoral policies and environmental research programmes.
           Socioeconomic assessment of the changing environment
           The objective is to develop the concepts of environmental social science and environmental economics
           and their application to environmental change. Account will be taken of the rapidly increasing scientific
           understanding of the human and natural environment. Particular attention will be given to the integration
           of R&D efforts in Member States and to the establishment of cooperative links with relevant international
           programmes.
           Topics to be covered include inter alia: incorporating environmental parameters into economic methodology;
           cost/risk/benefit analysis; sustainable development; scientific indicators of environmental quality; risk percep-
           tion; environmental ethics; early warning of environmental change including demographic, population and
           technological change.
           Socioeconomic impact of environmental policies and research
           The objective is to incorporate environmental socioeconomic factors into Community policies and to provide
           a socioeconomic dimension for Community environmental R&D.
           Work within this theme is intended to ensure that, in line with the provisions of the Single Act, environmental
           factors are sufficiently taken into account in Community sectoral policies and supporting R&D.
           Furthermore, as scientific and socioeconomic parameters are closely interdependent in a number of research
           topics of the present programme, work under this theme will ensure that socioeconomic considerations and
           parameters are properly incorporated into relevant coordinated research projects.
           Illustrative examples include: integrated waste recycling systems within the internal market; ecological
           consequences of demographic and population changes (e.g. Alps and other mountain regions); environmental
           impacts of tourism.
          Area 4: Integrated research projects
          The objective is to help solve broad problems of transnational interest through a systems approach and
          interdisciplinary research. Integrated projects will address regional issues or issues of immediate relevance to
          the Community policy. Examples are:
          Natural risks
          Work will aim at understanding the causes, mechanisms and consequences of hazardous environmental
          phenomena, and providing the scientific basis for disaster management (preparedness, prediction, alert,
          mitigation or prevention, recovery and redevelopment).
          Integrated research in this area will provide a European contribution to the international decade for natural
          hazard reduction. It will cover telluric, meteorological and hydrogeological hazards, including research on
          forest fires, floods and slope instability and the phenomenology of extreme hazardous meteorological events.
 ---pagebreak--- No C 174/46                          Official Journal of the European Communities                                         16. 7. 90
          Research on telluric hazards (earthquakes and volcanic eruptions) will consist mainly of theoretical studies
          of telluric phenomena and of the behaviour of structures during these phenomena and will aim at the setting-
          up of field measurement sites and of rapid intervention networks in selected active zones in the Community.
          Technological risks
          The aim is to understand the consequences of human activities, technologies and products on human health
          and on the environment as a basis for preventive Community policies and legislation.
          Research in this area will cover the development and validation of systems for testing and assessment of
          chemicals for health and ecological effects. It will be complemented by studies of the effect of environmental
          pollution on human health. Furthermore, the risks from agricultural technologies and land-use practices to
          soil and groundwater quality will be investigated. This work will extend to regional aspects of ecosystem
          protection including the eutrophication of coastal seas (in liaison with the specific programme on marine
          science and technology), the protection and conservation of habitats, forest dieback and the acidification of
          water bodies.
          Desertification in the Mediterranean area
          Research will be carried out to assess the natural and human causes, the mechanisms and the impacts of the
          spread of desertification in the Mediterranean area. Research will deal with the history, causes (human and
          climatic) and consequences of desertification. Strategies to combat desertification will be developed and their
          application to selected test zones will be envisaged.
                                                             ANNEX 11
                           Indicative breakdown of expenditures for the period 1990 to 1994
                                                                                                                     (%)
          Area 1: Participation in global change programmes                                                        35-45
          Area 2: Technologies and engineering for the environment                                                 20-25
          Area 3: Research on economic and social aspects of environmental issues                                   5-10
          Area 4: Integrated research projects                                                                     25-35
          The breakdown between different areas does not exclude the possibility that projects could cover several
          areas.
                                                               ANNEX ///
                                             Rules for implementing the programme
                               and activities for dissemination and exploitation of the results
             1. The Commission shall implement the programme on the basis of the scientific and technical content
                 described in Annex I.
            2. The rules for implementing the programme, referred to in Article 3, comprise research and technological
                 development projects, accompanying measures and concerted actions.
 ---pagebreak--- 16. 7. 90                             Official Journal of the European Communities                                      No C 174/47
              The direct research activities carried out by the JRC will be the subject of a separate Council Decision.
              The projects shall be the subject of shared-cost research and technological development contracts.
              The accompanying measures consist of applying the means to ensure proper technical execution, manage-
              ment and evaluation of the programme, as well as adequate dissemination and accessibility of the results,
              and coordination, training and consciousness-raising of the participants in the programme.
              The concerted actions are those defined in the Financial Regulation.
          3. The participants in the projects must be natural or legal persons established in the Community, such as
              universities, research organizations and industrial firms, including small and medium-sized enterprises,
              or associations thereof, in particular European economic interest groupings (EEIGs).
              Natural or legal persons established in countries which have concluded agreements with the Community
              foreseeing scientific and technical research, may, based on the criterion of mutual advantage, take part
              in the projects undertaken in the context of this programme. The contracting parties under such
              arrangements shall not benefit from Community funding. They shall contribute to the general administrat-
              ive costs.
          4. The choice of projects shall be carried out according to the following order of priority, the first method
              being the rule, the second the exception.
              The participants in the projects shall be selected on the basis of the ordinary procedure of calls for
              proposals referred to in Article 6 (3) and published in the Official journal of the European Communities.
              The Commission may also accept proposals according to an exceptional procedure and under the
             conditions mentioned below, when they make a particularly promising and significant contribution as
              regards the originality of the theme proposed, the novelty of the scientific and technical approach and
             the methodology of execution, also taking into account the particular nature of the proposers.
              A favourable technical evaluation of such proposals shall not by itself be a sufficient justification for
             accepting a project; this exceptional procedure may only apply after verification that the nature of the
             project, as defined above, does not justify the use of the normal procedure for calls for proposals.
             The exceptional procedure must be completed before the ordinary procedure in such a way that the
             available amount for the Community's financial participation in projects retained by the ordinary
             procedure can be determined precisely. The closing date for the exceptional procedure shall be published
             each year in the Official Journal of the European Communities.
             The amount of the financial participation of the Community for all the projects retained by the exceptional
             procedure will be decided each year, in relation to the projects selected according to particularly strict
             criteria of excellence. In any case, this amount may not exceed 15%; it may be revised each year in the
             light of experience.
             The Commission shall draw up a vade mecum setting out all the rules applicable to this exceptional
             procedure in order to guarantee full transparency.
          5. The projects must provide for participation by at least two mutually independent partners established in
             different Member States.
          6. The Commission may encourage the participants to form a European Economic Interest Grouping (EEIG)
             or make other arrangements for carrying out projects, such as those on a large scale, permitting
             decentralized management adapted to the specific requirements of the project.
          7. The knowledge acquired during the course of the projects shall be disseminated on the one hand within
             the specific programme and on the other and by means of a centralized activity, pursuant to the Decision
             referred to in the third subparagraph of Article 4 of Decision 90/221/Euratom, EEC.