CELEX: 51988PC0602
Language: en
Date: 1988-10-25
Title: Amended proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION TO ADOPT A FIRST MULTIANNUAL PROGRAMME (1988-1993) FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY-BASED AGRO-INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT "ECLAIR" European Collaborative Linkage of Agriculture and Industry through Research (presented by the Commission, pursuant to the third paragraph of Article 149 of the EEC Treaty)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (88) 602
Vol. 1988/0203
 ---pagebreak--- Disclaimer
Conformément au règlement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du 1er février 1983 concernant
l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique européenne et de
la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983, p. 1) modifié en dernier
lieu par le règlement (UE) 2015/496 du Conseil du 17 mars 2015 (JO L79 du 25. 3.2015, p. 1), ce
dossier est ouvert au public. Le cas échéant, les documents classifiés présents dans ce dossier
ont été déclassifiés conformément à l'article 5 dudit règlement ou sont considérés déclassifiés
conformément aux articles 26(3) et 59(2) de la décision (UE, Euratom) 2015/444 de la
Commission du 13 mars 2015 concernant les règles de sécurité aux fins de la protection des
informations classifiées de l'Union européenne.
In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983 concerning
the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Economic Community and the
European Atomic Energy Community (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as last amended by Council
Regulation (EU) 2015/496 of 17 March 2015 (OJ L 79, 27.3.2015, p. 1), this file is open to the
public. Where necessary, classified documents in this file have been declassified in conformity
with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation or are considered declassified in conformity with
Articles (26.3) and 59(2) of the Commission Decision (EU, Euratom) 2015/444 of 13 March 2015
on the security rules for protecting EU classified information.
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom 1. Februar
1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und
der Europäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI. L 43 vom 15.2.1983, S. 1), zuletzt geändert durch die
Verordnung (EU) Nr. 2015/496 vom 17. März 2015 (ABI. L 79 vom 25.3.2015, S. 1), ist dieser Akt
der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Soweit erforderlich, wurden die Verschlusssachen in diesem Akt in
Übereinstimmung mit Artikel 5 der genannten Verordnung freigegeben; beziehungsweise werden
sie auf Grundlage von Artikel 26(3) und 59(2) der Entscheidung der Kommission (EU, Euratom)
2015/444 vom      13.   März 2015     über die   Sicherheitsvorschriften für den Schutz von  EU-
Verschlusssachen als herabgestuft angesehen.
 ---pagebreak--- COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                                   COM ( 88 ) 602 final - SYN 113
                                                   Brussels , 25 October 1988
                            Amended proposal for a
                                COUNCIL DECISION
        TO ADOPT A FIRST MULTIANNUAL PROGRAMME           ( 1988-1993 ) FOR
     BIOTECHNOLOGY-BASED AGRO-INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY
                                     DEVELOPMENT
                                " ECLAIR "
      European Collaborative Linkage of Agriculture and Industry
                                 through Research
   ( presented by the Commission , pursuant to the third paragraph
                   of Article 149 of the EEC Treaty )
               XX ? -                m
                     _ .     OC
                        l          .   PS
               a
               od
                    ia_ if^ £--    > la
                        £ ÇA
                vav - 65             A
                X:
 ---pagebreak---                                    1
                                                       CoyH bo%
             MODIFIED* PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL DECISION
         adopting a first multiannual action programme for
  biotechnology-based agro-industrial research and technological
                     development ( 1988 - 1993 )
                           "E C LA I R " :
    European Collaborative Linkage of Agriculture and Industry
                          through Research
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard to the Treaty setting up the European Economic
Community ,
and in particular to Article 130 Q , paragraph 2 ,
having regard to the proposal from the Commission 1 ,
in cooperation with the European Parliament 2 ,
having   regard   to  the   opinion  of  the  Economic and  Social
Committee
whereas Article 130 K of the Treaty stipulates that the
Framework Programme shall be implemented through specific
programmes developed within each of its activities ;
whereas by its Decision of 28 September 1987 the Council has
adopted a framework programme of Community research , and
technological development ( 1987-1991 )^, providing for activities
to be implemented to ensure the exploitation and optimum use of
biological resources ;
whereas the said Decision of 28 September 1987 stipulates that a
specific objective of Community research must be to strengthen
the scientific and technological basis of European industry ,
particularly in strategic sectors of advanced technology , and to
* Original COM 667 final of 18 December 1987 .
1
2
3
4 OJ N° L302 , 24.10.1987 .
 ---pagebreak---                                       2
encourage industry by making it more competitive at the inter ¬
national level , and whereas the same Decision also lays down that
Community action is justified if it contributes , among other
things , to enhancing the Community 's economic and social
cohesion and to encouraging its overall harmonious development ,
while at the same time being consistent with the pursuit of
scientific and technical excellence ; whereas the ECLAIR programme
is planned to contribute to the pursuit of these objectives ;
whereas the specialised skills and capabilities relevant to
agro-industrial development are numerous , and Europe 's most
internationally competitive capabilities are located in diverse
Member    States ,      mutual    benefit  shall  be   derived    from
collaboration in a Community programme ;
whereas   the     European   Parliament , in  its assessment   of  the
potential for " biotechnology in the European farming industry " J
and of " biotechnology in Europe and the need for an integrated
policy"® , has emphasised that it must be used to promote an
agricultural policy geared to quality , with high added value ,
rather than to further improvements in yields and increased
production , and that the Community should support biotechnolo ¬
gical research aimed at improving existing and developing new and
alternative forms of production ;
whereas these activities need to be accompanied by ongoing
analysis of their associated costs and benefits in order to avoid
that they give rise to new industries , which can only survive on
the basis of permanently subsidized sales of agricultural
products , or to agricultural surpluses ;
whereas , inter alia , the European Parliament has pointed to the
risks associated with the use , especially the release , of
genetically engineered organisms and to possible undesirable
social and structural effects of these new technologies ;
whereas such activities should constitute a logical complement to
the Community research programmes in the areas of biotechnology
and of agriculture , promoting the application of their results to
the social and economic objectives of the Community ;
whereas development activities at the interfaces between agricul ¬
ture and industry could contribute to the solution of some of the
problems which agriculture is currently facing within the
Community ;
5 OJ N ° C7 6 / 22 , 23.03.1987 .
6  OJ N ° C76 / 25 , 23.03.1987
 ---pagebreak---                                     3
whereas the principal and most urgent requirements that must be
satisfied centre on the development of types of agricultural
production suitable for industrial purposes , of transformation
technologies , and of industrial inputs in agriculture such as
pesticides or fertilizers less harmful to the environment ;
whereas the European Parliament has called for a study to be
conducted into the structural and social consequences of
promoting biotechnologies and genetic engineering ;
whereas it is important to avoid that concentration of agricul ¬
tural structures and further specialization cause adverse
effects for small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises ;
whereas it is necessary to involve small and medium-sized
agricultural and industrial enterprises to the maximum extent
possible     in      this     biotechnology-based     agro-industrial
technological development programme ;
whereas the Scientific and Technical Research Committee ( CREST )
has expressed its opinion on the Commission 's proposal ;
RAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION ;
                               Article 1
A research and development programme of the European Economic
Community in the field of biotechnology-based agro-industrial
development is hereby adopted in the form set out in Annex I for
a five-year period starting on 1 July 1988 .
The programme    shall consist of work carried out as contract -
research and as coordination actions and by training /mobility
grants . Participants        may be industrial and agricultural
enterprises - individual , associations or cooperatives , research
institutions , universities or combinations of them , established
in the Community .
Normally , research institutes and universities should participate
in a group together with one or more industrial or agricultural
organization s ) . Research institutes which are funded principally
or exclusively by industrial organizations shall be considered as
industrial participants .
Projects must be carried out by participants from more than one
Member State .
As a general rule ,     the Community contribution will not exceed
50% , the remainder to be provided . by the partner(s ), predominant ¬
ly from industrial or agricultural sources .
 ---pagebreak---                                     4
                              Article 2
The funds necessary for the execution of the programme are esti ¬
mated at 80 million ECUs , including expenditure on a staff of 13 .
                              Article 3
1.     In the third year of the programme implementation , 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 of the content and funding , or prolongation .
2.    An evaluation of the results achieved shall be conducted by
the Commission , which shall report to the Council and the
European Parliament . The report shall be drawn up by independent
experts .
3.     The above mentioned reports shall be established having
regard to the objectives set out in the Annex II to this Decision
and in conformity with the provisions of Art . 2(2 ) of the
framework programme .
                               Article 4
The Commission shall be responsible for the execution of the
programme and will        be assisted in its implementation by a
Management and Coordination Advisory Committee ( CGC ), created in
accordance with the Council Decision N' 84 / 338 / EURATOM , ECSC ,
EEC , of 29 June 1984 7 .
The contracts entered into by the Commission shall regulate the
rights and obligations of each party , including the methods of
disseminating , protecting and exploiting of research results .
                               Article 5
This Decision is addressed to the Member States .
Done in Brussels ,                For the Council
                                  The President
7 OJ N ° L 177 , 04.07.84 , p. 25 .
 ---pagebreak---                                        5
                                   ANNEX I
                                  PROGRAMME
            for the first multi-annual action programme for
   Biotechnology-Based Agro-Industrial Research and Technological
                          Development ( 1988-1993 )
AIMS
The objective of the programme here proposed is to promote in
Europe the useful application of recent developments in the life
sciences and biotechnology . This shall be achieved by a programme
of pre-competitive research and technical development projects
and coordination activities , based on close collaboration between
agriculture       and    industrial    activities ,    and   supported by
training /mobility grants . The programme will contribute in the
medium and longer terms to enhancing Europe 's competitiveness in
the economic activities which will be based on these developments
and to strengthening economic and social cohesion in the
Community .
The programme shall avoid adverse effects on public health and
the environment , and to create problems with regard to the
protection and enhancement of nature .
The principal objectives of this programme are enumerated below :
( i ) research , adaptation and development of agricultural products
destined for industrial use , as well as the research and
promotion of new industrial techniques for processing and
transforming agricultural raw materials with a view to obtaining ,
under economically viable conditions , industrial products which
respond to the needs of the market ;
( ii ) research and development of industrial inputs in agriculture
such as pesticides , fertilizers and of eradication and disease
control      systems     less harmful or better adapted to the
environment ; the reduction and elimination of by-products of
processing by recovering resources and reducing waste .
CONTENT
The    programme    shall   be pursued    through   the measures    set out
below :
1.   EVALUATION TRIALS AND PRODUCTION OF NEW SPECIES OR ORGANISMS
       This   sector    shall  consist   of test trials at appropriate
       scale   and   under   various   conditions   of  novel  or  modified
       species or organisms ( plants , livestock , other ) in order to
       test performance , pest resistance , input requirements , and
       aspects relevant to suitability for industrial processing ,
       animal nutrition and market acceptability of the organism ,
       its constituents , and the products derived from them with
       special emphasis on the use of new biotechnological methods
       in     the     identification ,    characterization ,     selection ,
 ---pagebreak---                                     6
      modification , propagation , cultivation or other aspect of
      developing and appraising the candidate organisms .
2 . INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
      This sector shall consist of
2.1   more precise and effective inputs to agriculture through
      research and development work , based on the use of life
      sciences and biotechnology , aiming at the creation of
      products and services for use in agriculture , offering
      advantages in terms of precision , cost-effectiveness ,
      enhanced plant or animal performance , suitability for
      subsequent product processing and / or marketing , and avoiding
      possible undesirable side effects ; and
2.2   more precise and effective extraction , transformation and
      production processes through research and development work
      on methods to increase the use and value of agricultural
      produce , by extraction , transformation or other processes ,
      in industry or elsewhere , which by biotechnological or other
      means make greater or more valuable use of the intrinsic
      properties of these materials .
3.  INTEGRATED APPROACHES
      This sector shall consist of
3.1   the improved utilization of the entire crop by the develop ¬
      ment , through trial systems , of systems for harvesting the
      whole    crop ,  its   preservation   and   fractionation   into
      constituents appropriate for subsequent applications ; such
      trial system(s ) to be of adequate scale to provide a basis
      for economic appraisals , and the significant participation
      of industrial and agricultural interests . Priority to be
      given to projects using new biotechnology ; and
3.2   studies and development projects for the integrated use of
      new technologies which shall focus on the joint exploitation
      of progress in biological knowledge and techniques in
      conjunction with new- technology- based agricultural systems .
IMPLEMENTATION
Implementation of the projects shall be through cost-shared
research and development actions and coordination activities .
Training /mobility grants shall be included to facilitate the
assembly of relevant skills at appropriate locations for the
work of the projects , and to promote effective diffusion of the
knowledge resulting from them . The programme shall also include
the organization of meetings , consultation of experts , studies on
related topics , and diffusion of information on the progress and
results of the projects to all appropriate groups .
Each       proposal   shall    include     an environmental     impact
statement , indicating the possible effects of the project on
humans , fauna , flora , soils , water , air and on the interactions
between    these   different    factors . This  statement  must   also
include an undertaking to respect existing safety regulations .
 ---pagebreak---                                      7
                                 ANNEX II
                           EVALUATION CRITERIA
            for the first multi-annual action programme for
   Biotechnology-Based Agro-Industrial Research and Technological
                         Development ( 1988-1993 )
The Commission 's Communication to the Council concerning a
Community Plan of Action relating to the evaluation of Community
research and development activities for the years 1987 to 1991
( COM ( 86 ) 660 final ) states that the objectives and milestones of
each research programme have to be set out in a testable form .
The objectives and milestones of the above programme are set out
below .
1.      The long term objective of this programme is described in
      Annex I .
2.       The primary short term objective is that the programme
       should succeed in eliciting proposals , with commitments to
       co-finance from industry and / or agriculture , for development
       projects on a scale commensurate with the Community
       resources proposed . This objective shall be testable in
       1991-1992 .
       At this time , the programme should also demonstrate its
       promotion and encouragement of inter-sectoral collaboration ,
       across the Member States .
3.       The criteria for the evaluation of the objectives to be
       attained during the first three years of the implementation
       of the programme are :
3.1    that tests of new or modified species or organisms have
       been conducted , and have given grounds to expect that these
       organisms , or the processes used to produce or modify them ,
       represent progress and could find applications ;
3.2    that tests   have been conducted of new or modified products ,
       techniques     or services for use in agriculture ; that
       advantages    in terms of precision , effectiveness , or the
       avoidance    of possible adverse side-effects have been
       indicated ; and that as a result of the tests the products ,
       techniques  or services have practical applications ;
3.3    that tests have been conducted of more precise and
       effective     extraction ,    transformation   and   production
       processes , applying biotechnological and / or other methods to
       an agricultural output ; and that as a result of the tests ,
       the processes are useful ;
3.4
3.4    that through the programme , arrangements have been organised
       between farming and industrial /processing interests and
       facilities or equipment created , modified or made available ,
 ---pagebreak---                                  8
    to test on one or more crops the technical feasibility of
    harvesting and using the whole plant ; and that corresponding
    measures of performance have been or are in course of being
    defined , to provide a basis for further system improvements
    and a basis for decision on the replication and diffusion of
    similar larger scale activities ;
3.5 that   studies   have   been   financed   and    completed ,  and
    development projects supported , involving the use in
    agriculture     of    new    technologies     ( e.g.    involving
    sophisticated detection /measurement / recording techniques ,
    information    processing ,   automation   of     equipment   and
    facilities ),   in conjunction with the application of
    biotechnology ; and that as a result of such studies and
    projects new applications have been found ; and
3.6  that studies have been funded examining the socio-structu -
    ral and ecological impact of promoting biotechnology and
    genetic technology in agriculture .
4.  In addition , the programme should ensure that the following
    general criteria are met :
4.1 that the potential increase in market opportunities , in
    medium or long-term , as a result of the improvements or
    benefits demonstrated , is of a size to justify the Community
    expenditures committed , which imply an analysis of the costs
    and benefits of these activities and their possible
    applications ;
4.2 taking account of the final reports on the Biotechnology
    Action Programme , which ends in December 1989 , and of the
    Biomolecular Engineering Programme ( 1982-86 ), and of the
    evaluation report ( s ) on these programmes , consideration
    should be given whether this programme is in fact effec ¬
    tively promoting the transfer towards application of the
    results of the earlier biotechnology ( or biomolecular
    engineering ) research programmes ;
4.3   that the execution of the programme has avoided harmful
    effects on public health and the environment ; and has not
    created problems with respect to the protection and
    enhancement of nature ;
4.4 taking account of the results of Community , national or
    private sector research activities in biotechnology , the
    evaluation panel shall consider whether the ECLAIR programme
    has given adequate consideration to the selection criteria
    set out in Annex III to the Framework Programme , including
    " the strengthening of the economic and social cohesion in
    the Community and the promotion of its overall harmonious
    development , while being consistent with the pursuit of
    scientific and technical quality " .