CELEX: 51988PC0795
Language: en
Date: 1989-01-24
Title: PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL DECISION ADOPTING A SPECIFIC RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY IN THE FIELDS OF RAW MATERIALS AND RECYCLING ( 1990 - 1992 )

No C 52/24                            Official Journal of the European Communities                                   1. 3. 89
                                                              II
                                                      (Preparatory Acts)
                                                 COMMISSION
               Proposal for a Council Decision adopting a specific research and technological development
              programme of the European Economic Community in the fields of raw materials and recycling
                                                        (1990 to 1992)
                                               COM(88) 795 final — SYN 188
                                     (Submitted by the Commission on 31 January 1989)
                                                         (89/C 52/09)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,                          Whereas Council Decision 86/235/EEC (2)~decided on a
                                                                   research programme on materials (raw materials and
 Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European             advanced materials) (1986 to 1989), and the ongoing
 Economic Community and in particular Article 130 (2)              research activities have clearly demonstrated the utility of
thereof,                                                           Community actions in the fields of raw materials and
                                                                   recycling;
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
                                                                  Whereas it is necessary to react adequately to the interest
                                                                  shown by the industry in transnational cooperation;
In cooperation with the European Parliament,
                                                                  Whereas the participation of organizations from EFTA
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and                  countries in industrially-oriented R & D projects, under
Social Committee,                                                 appropriate conditions, may contribute to the competi-
                                                                  tiveness of industry as a whole;
Whereas Article 130 K of the Treaty provides that the
famework programme shall be implemented through
                                                                  Whereas it is in the Community's interest to consolidate
specific programmes developed within each activity;
                                                                  the scientific and technical basis of European research by
                                                                  means of the involvement to a greater extent of the
Whereas by its Decision of 87/156/Euratom, EEC ('),               EFTA countries in certain Community programmes,
the Council has adopted a framework programme of                  particularly in programmes involving cooperation in
Community research and technological development                  research and development of primary and strategic
(1987 to 1991) providing, inter alia, for activities in the       metals production and recycling of secondary materials
field of raw materials and recycling;                             and wood;
Whereas that Decision provides that a particular aim of           Whereas the implementation of concerted actions in the
Community research shall be to contribute to the compe-           COST framework is an essential element to complement
titiveness of traditional and new industrial sectors of the       industrially-oriented R & D projects;
Community, by satisfying their requirements in raw
materials, and recycling;
                                                                 Whereas the Scientific and Technical               Research
                                                                  Committee (CREST) has been consulted,
Whereas that Decision provides that a particular aim of
Community research shall be to strengthen the scientific
and technological basis of European industy and to
encourage it to the strengthening of the economic and             HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
social cohesion of the Community and the promotion of
its overall harmonious development, while being
consistent with the pursuit of scientific and technical                                      Article 1
quality;                                                         A specific research and technological development
                                                                 programme for the European Economic Community in
(') OJ No L 302, 24. 10. 1987, p. 1.                              (2) OJ No L 159, 14. 6. 1986, p. 36.
 ---pagebreak--- 1. 3. 89                              Official Journal of the European Communities                           No C 52/25
the fields of raw materials and recycling, as defined in                                   Article 6
Annex I, is hereby adopted for a period of three years,
                                                                 1.    The Commission shall submit to the Committee a
from 1 January 1990.
                                                                draft of the measures to be taken. The Committee shall
                                                                deliver its opinion within a time limit which the
                         Article 2                              Chairman may lay down according to urgency of the
                                                                matter, if necessary by taking a vote.
The amount deemed necessary for the execution of the
programme is ECU 45 million including expenditure on            2.     The opinion shall be recorded in the minutes of the
a staff of 17.                                                  Comittee; in addition, each Member State shall have the
                                                                right to have its opinion recorded in the minutes.
                         Article 3
                                                                 3.    The Commission shall take the utmost account of
Detailed rules for the implementation of the programme          the opinion delivered by the Committee. It shall inform
and the rate of the Community's financial participation         the Committee of the manner in which its opinion has
are set out in Annex II.                                         been taken into account.
                         Article 4                                                         Article 7
 1.   In the second year of the programme implemen-              1.    Where framework agreements for scientific and
tation, the Commission shall undertake a review of the           technical     cooperation      between   non-Community
programme and report to the Council and to the                   European countries and the European Communities have
European Parliament on the result of this review,                been concluded, organizations and enterprises estab-
together, if necessary, with any proposals for modifi-           lished in those countries may, under appropriate
cation or prolongation.                                          conditions to be defined by the Commission, become
                                                                 partners in a project undertaken within the programme.
2.    An evaluation of the results achieved shall be             For each such project, the Committee referred to in
conducted before the end of the programme by the                Article 5 shall assist the Commission in defining those
Commission which shall report thereon to the Council             conditions.
and the European Parliament.
                                                                 2.    No contractor established outside the Community
3.    The abovementioned reports shall be established            who participates as a partner in a project undertaken
having regard to the objectives set out in Annex III to          within the programme shall be entitled to Community
this Decision and in conformity with the provisions of           financing intended for the programme. The contractor
Article 2 (2) of Decision 87/516/Euratom, EEC on the             will contribute to general administrative expenses.
framework programme.
                                                                                           Article 8
                         Article 5                               For the parts 'renewable raw materials' and 'recycling of
                                                                 waste R & D', the Commission is hereby authorized to
 1.   The Commission shall be responsible          for  the      negotiate, in accordance with Article 130N of the
execution of the programme.                                      Treaty, agreements with non-member States and interna-
                                                                 tional organizations, in particular with those countries
2.    The Commission shall be assisted by a Committee            participating in European cooperation in the field of
of an advisory nature, hereinafter referred to as 'the           scientific and technological research (COST), and those
Committee' composed of the representatives of the                having concluded framework agreements for scientific
 Member States and chaired by the representative of the          and technical cooperation with the Community, with a
 Commission.                                                     view to associating them wholly or partly with these
                                                                 parts of the programme.
3.    Contracts concluded by the Commission shall
govern the rights and obligations of each party, in                                        Article 9
particular arrangements for the dissemination, protection
and exploitation of research results.                            This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
 ---pagebreak--- N o C 52/26                            Official J o u r n a l of the E u r o p e a n C o m m u n i t i e s             1. 3. 89
                                                                 ANNEX     I
                                                             (A) OBJECTIVES
            The principle objective of the programme is to help enhance the competitive position of the Community's
            industries involved with raw materials and recycling in world markets. A programme of research and devel-
            opment will help to provide the technology base required for strategic, innovative developments in support
            of the supply and processing of raw materials, both minerals and renewables, and recycling.
                                                   (B) TECHNICAL C O N T E N T
            Primary raw materials
            (1)  Exploration:
                Ore genesis, geochemical methods, geophysical methods, remote sensing and multidata correlation,
                drilling technology.
            (2) Mining technology:
                Development of new mining methods and improvement of existing ones, rock fracturing, support
                systems, load and transportation systems, modelling and simulations in mining operations, specific
                equipment for small size mines.
            (3) Mineral processing and extractive metallurgy:
                Process innovation and process intensification, processing of high purity metals and multielement
                compounds, industrial minerals, treatment of metallurgical residues and tailings, modelling simulation
                and automatic control in mineral processing and extractive metallurgy.
            Recycling of non-ferrous metals and strategic metals
            (1) Characterization and classification of secondary materials
            (2) Physical separation and concentration
            (3) Advanced pyrometallurgical processes
            (4) Advanced hydrometallurgical processes
            (5) Refining technologies
            (6) Instrumentation on control of the processes
            Renewable raw materials, forestry and wood products
            (1) Forest resources:
                — tree improvement,
                — planning and management,
                — protection.
           (2) Wood technology:
                — quality assessment,
                — processing technology.
           (3) Pulp and paper manufacturing:
                — improvement in pulping and bleaching,
                — improvement in paper manufacture and coating.
 ---pagebreak--- 1. 3. 89                            Official Journal of the European Communities                                  No C 52/27
         Recycling of waste
         (1) Sampling, analysis and classification of waste
         (2) Recycling technologies
         (3) Energy production from waste
                                                          ANNEX     II
                                         RULES FOR T H E IMPLEMENTATION
         Shared cost action
         The programme will be implemented by means of shared cost contracts with industry, public
         research centres and universities for applied research of a pre-competitive character. At least
         two organizations from different Member States and independent of each other must take part
         in the project. Each party is expected to make a significant contribution to the project. The
         contract parties shall bear a substantial part of the costs up to 50 % of which shall, as a rule, be
         borne by the Community. The Community may bear up to 100 % of the marginal expenditure
         incurred by universities and research institutes in relation to the project.
         Coordinated activities
         In cases where work, supported by national funds or entirely private funding is already going
         on, the Commission's role may be limited to simply organizing the coordination of the work
         and the Community funding confined to covering the cost of such coordination activities.
         However, in certain cases where it is clear that strategically important work requires more than
         simple coordination, the Commission could, in consultation with CGC, consider a higher
         Community funding.
         Other activities
         Funds will also be applied to training activities (pre- and post-doctorate fellowships), for
         exchange of research workers and for the assessment and technico-economic studies.
         In the recycling of waste subprogramme, the upgrading of lignocellulosic waste will be
         continued in the form of a formal concerted action.
                                                          ANNEX III
                                                 Programme evaluation criteria
         The results against which the programme should be evaluated must reflect its objectives and the wider
         objectives of the framework programme.
         1. As the principal objective is to help enhance the competitive position of the Community's industries
            involved with raw materials and recycling, the evaluation should determine:
            — the extent to which the projects were selected against measurable industrial criteria,
            — the extent to which substantial progress has resulted from the work supported.
         2. A further objective is to encourage transfrontier collaboration in strategic industrial research. The
            evaluation should determine:
            — to what extent, during the life of the project, there were continuing links between partners for
                research, development, manufacturing, marketing or staff formation.
 ---pagebreak--- No C 52/28                               Official Journal of the European Communities                             1. 3. 89
           3. A further programme objective is to encourage transfer of technology across Community frontiers and
              between sectors, particularly those with a predominance of SMEs. The evaluation should determine:
              — the extent to which SMEs have participated and contributed in developing the research project and
                  to the possibility to exploit results arising from successfully completed projects,
              — the extent to which accomplishments are protected by patent action or are disseminated to raise
                  awareness in the European research and technology Community.
           4. In the wider contect of the framework programme, the evaluation should determine:
              — the extent to which the projects have contributed to harmonization of the Community by reducing
                  the technical barriers to trade.
          The evaluation will be undertaken by independent evaluators.