CELEX: 51989PC0077
Language: en
Date: 1989-02-16
Title: MODIFIED PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL DECISION ADOPTING A RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME IN THE FIELD OF FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ( 1989 TO MID-1993 ) " FLAIR " FOOD-LINKED AGRO-INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH

No C 73/6                            Official Journal of the European Communities                                   21. 3. 89
"Whereas the provisions of this Directive in no way               15 July 1980 on air quality limit values and guide values
prejudice the obligations placed on Member States by              for sulphur dioxide and suspended particulates (*);
Council Directives 80/68/EEC of 17 December 1979 on
the protection of groundwater against pollution caused            Whereas this Directive creates no special problems for
by certain dangerous substances (') and 80/779/EEC of             less developed economies.
0) OJ No L 20, 26. 1. 1980, p. 43.                                (2) OJ No L 229, 30. 8. 1980, p. 30.
             Amended proposal for a Council Decision adopting a research and technological development
             programme in the field of food science and technology (1989 to mid-1993) — Food-linked
                                             agro-industrial research (Flair) (')
                                              COM(89) 77 final — SYN 140
             (Submitted by the Commission pursuant to Article 149 (3) of the EEC Treaty on 17 February
                                                            1989)
                                                       (89/C 73/08)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,                          Community actions, which include that of contributing
                                                                  to the strengthening of the economic and social cohesion
                                                                  of the Community, consistent with the pursuit of
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European             scientific and technical quality;
Economic Community, and in particular to Article 130Q
(2) thereof,
                                                                  Whereas a multiannual programme of research and
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,                development in the field of food science and technology
                                                                  (Flair) will assist in the combined progress in public
                                                                  health and consumer protection with industrial and
                                                                  economic development within the Community;
In cooperation with the European Parliament,
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and                  Whereas having regard to the fact that the specialized
Social Committee,                                                 skills and capabilities relevant to food technology are
                                                                  numerous, and Europe's most internationally competitive
                                                                  capabilities are located in diverse Member States, general
Whereas Article 130K of the Treaty stipulates that the            benefit shall be derived from collaboration in a
framework programme shall be implemented through                  Community programme;
specific programmes developed within each of its acti-
vities;
                                                                  Whereas        four       Community-COST       concertation
Whereas by its Decision 87/516/Euratom, EEC (2), the              agreements on four concerted action projects in the field
Council    adopted     a framework       programme       of       of food science and technology (5) have produced
Community research and technological development                  encouraging results, and further initiatives in the COST
(1987 to 1991), providing for activities to be                    framework in this field, are underway;
implemented to ensure the exploitation and maximum
use of biological resources;
Whereas the framework programme sets out criteria to              C) OJ No L 54, 25. 2. 1978, p. 25;
evaluate each specific programme and to select                        OJ No L 270, 27. 10. 1979, p. 53;
                                                                      OJ NoL39, 15. 2. 1980, p. 30;
                                                                      OJ No L 350, 23. 12. 1980, p. 54;
(') OJ No C 306, 1. 12. 1988, p. 13.                                  OJ No L 353, 15. 12. 1982, p. 25; and
O OJ No L 302, 24. 10. 1987, p. 1.                                    O J N o L 151, 7. 6. 1984, p. 46.
 ---pagebreak--- 21. 3. 89                             Official Journal of the European Communities                              No C 73/7
Whereas the participation of European non-member                safety and quality for the consumer, and in conformity
States wholly or partially with projects in this                with the provisions of Article 2 (2) of the framework
programme is desirable;                                         programme.
Whereas it is desirable to involve small- and                                              Article 5
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to the maximum extent
possible in this food science and technology research and       The Commission shall be responsible for implementing
development programme, and to provide SMEs and                   the programme.
cooperatives particularly in the Community's less-
favoured regions with a maximum amount of infor-                The Commission shall be assisted by a committee of an
mation on the results of that programme;                         advisory nature, hereinafter referred to as 'the
                                                                 committee', composed of the representatives of the
Whereas the Scientific and Technical Research                    Member States and chaired by the representative of the
Committee (Crest) has expressed its opinion on the               Commission.
Commission's proposal,
                                                                                           Article 6
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:                                       1.    The Commission shall submit to the committee a
                                                                 draft of the measures to be taken. The committee shall
                          Article 1                              deliver its opinion within a time limit which the chairman
                                                                 may lay down according to the urgency of the matter, if
A specific research and technological development                necessary by taking a vote.
programme for the European Economic Community in
the field of food technology, as defined in the Annex, is        2.    The opinion shall be recorded in the minutes of the
hereby adopted for a period of four years, from 1 July           committee; in addition, each Member State shall have
1989.                                                            the right to have its position recorded in the minutes.
                          Article 2                              3.    The Commission shall take the utmost account of
                                                                 the opinion delivered by the committee. It shall inform
The funds estimated as necessary for the execution of            the committee of the manner in which its opinion has
the programme amount to ECU 25 million, including                been taken into account.
expenditure on a staff of five.
                                                                                           Article 7
                          Article 3
                                                                 The Commission is authorized to negotiate, in
The programme shall consist of work carried out as               accordance with Article 130N of the Treaty, agreements
concerted and shared-cost actions, and by training/              with international organizations, with those non-member
mobility grants.                                                 States participating in European cooperation in the field
                                                                 of Scientific and Technological Research (COST) and
Detailed rules for implementing the programme are set            with those European countries having concluded
out in the Annex.                                                framework agreements in S/T cooperation with the
                                                                 Community, with a view to involving them wholly or
                          Article 4                              partially in the concerted actions within this programme.
In the third year of the programme implementation and            Where framework agreements for scientific and technical
in the light of the interim results achieved, the                cooperation      between      non-Community       European
Commission shall undertake a review and report to the            countries and the European Community have been
Council and the European Parliament on the results               concluded, organizations and enterprises established in
thereof, together, if necessary, with any proposals for          these countries may, under appropriate conditions to be
modification of the content and funding or prolongation.         defined by the Commission, become partners to a
                                                                 shared-cost project within this programme.
An evaluation of the results achieved shall be conducted
by independent experts and published in the form of a            No participant in shared-cost projects, who is established
communication to the Council and the European                    outside the Community, shall be entitled to Community
Parliament.                                                      financing.
The abovementioned reports shall be established having
                                                                                           Article 8
regard to the objectives set out in the Annex to this
Decision, in particular for the improvement of food              This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
 ---pagebreak--- N o C 73/8                              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            2 1 . 3. 89
                                                                  ANNEX
           for a specific research and technological development programme in the field of food science and technology
                                                             (1989 to mid-1993)
           Objectives
           The objectives of the programme are to contribute to Europe's competitiveness in the food industry, to the
           improvement of food safety and quality for the consumer and to the strengthening of the food science and
           technology infrastructures in Europe. The programme will also contribute, in the context of the
           harmonious development of the internal market and, in the medium and longer terms, to strengthening
           economic and social cohesion in the Community.
           The programme is targetted at complementing existing initiatives in Member States through the devel-
           opment of further collaborative linkages between different research groups and industries, and shall
           concentrate on the interface between food processing, food distribution and the consumer. The consumer
           demands for more natural and healthy foods with greater diversity, shall be met by the combined efforts of
           researchers and the food industry.
           This should contribute also to a better control of processes (including chemical treatment and additives)
           and a reduction of harmful residues while safeguarding food safety and quality.
           The programme shall avoid adverse effects on public health and the environment, and the creation of
           problems in respect of the protection and enhancement of nature.
           Content
           The research activities in this programme have been divided into three sectors. New or improved techno-
           logies and processing innovations, which enhance food quality, safety and nutritive values, shall also be
           supported in each sector.
           1. Assessment and enhancement of food quality and diversity shall consist of research and development on:
              — quantitative measures of 'quality',
              — objective organoleptic and sensory criteria and their relationship to quality,
              — quantitative measurement of 'freshness' of processed foods,
              — the quality aspects of raw materials as they affect processing and end products, and
              — new or improved technologies and processing innovations which enhance food quality while also
                  facilitating processing, and building consumer confidence, or which make possible greater diversity
                  in the supply of foodstuffs.
           2. Food hygiene, safety and toxicological aspects shall concern research and development on:
              — improved rapid screening tests to predict potential toxicity factors, for example residues from agri-
                  cultural production, processing and environmental pollution,
              — the occurence of natural plant toxins and their effects on food,
              — predicting micro-organism growth rates, accelerated methods for specific organisms and total
                  counts,
              — improved understanding of the relationship between food constituents and food allergies, and
              — the application of these tests in food processing and new food product development to ensure the
                  safety of both processes and products.
           3. Nutrition and wholesomeness aspects shall consist of research and development on:
              — the evaluation of the effects of new or improved processing technologies and/or ingredient
                  substitution on dietary, nutritional values and wholesomeness aspects of food,
 ---pagebreak--- 21. 3. 89                               Official Journal of the European Communities                                     No C 73/9
             — methodologies for the nutritional evaluation of foods,
             — the bioavailability of the nutritional constituents (e.g. vitamins and minerals) and the effects of
                  processing, distribution, catering, storage and domestic use,
             — the nutritional and wholesomeness value of foods designed for particular uses (e.g. slimming or
                  athletics) or important to sub-groups in the population (e.g. infants and the elderly), and
             — those new or improved processes and technologies which enhance the nutritional value and whole-
                  someness of foods.
          Implementation
          The programme shall consist of work carried out as concerted and shared-cost actions, and by training/
          mobility grants. All projects shall be carried out by participants from more than one Member State (irres-
          pective of participants from third countries), and shall aim at the creation of European networks of centres
          investigating the properties of foodstuffs.
          Participation in a concerted action is open to all Member States, to non-member European States which
          have concluded framework agreements in scientific and technological cooperation with the Community,
          and COST participating States.
          Participants in a project conducted as a shared-cost action, may be industrial enterprises, research
          institutions, universities or combinations of them, established in the Community or in those non-member
          European States which have concluded framework agreements in scientific and technological cooperation
          with the Community.
          As a general rule, research institutes and universities shall participate in a group together with one or more
          industrial organizations. Research institutes which are funded principally or exclusively by industrial
          organizations shall be considered as industrial participants.
          For those actions which are conducted on a shared-cost basis, the Community contribution shall not
          normally exceed 50 % of the total expenditure, the remainder to be provided mainly from industrial
          sources. In the case of universities and similar institutions this contribution alternatively may be up to
          100 % of the marginal costs.
          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 coordination activities such as the organization of meetings,
          consultation with national experts and studies on related topics, such as structural and social effects of
          applications of the programme results.
          Special attention will be paid to the dissemination of the programme results, in order to maximise the
          effects of this work, and to allow all enterprises, particularly SME's, in all Member States to benefit
          directly. In this respect special efforts will be devoted to the less-favoured regions of the Community.
          The contracts entered into by the Commission shall regulate the rights and obligations of each party, in
          particular the methods of disseminating, protecting and exploiting the research results.
          Cooperation between the participants in project and consumer protection groups shall be encouraged.
          Evaluation criteria
          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 researchprogramme have to be set out in a testable
          form. These are set out below.
          1.   The long-term objective of this programme is to contribute to the competitiveness of Europe's food
                industries, and to improved consumer protection and confidence, by strengthening the links between
               them through research and development. The Commission proposes to achieve this objective by
               launching a programme of concerted actions and shared-cost actions. The projects seek to promote
               the close collaboration between research and industrial groups, by their participation in research
               and technological development on food quality, hygiene, safety, toxicology, nutritional and
               wholesomeness values.
 ---pagebreak--- No C 73/10                              Official Journal of the European Communities                                        21. 3. 89
           2.   The primary short-term objective is that the programme should succeed in eliciting proposals, for
                concerted actions (with national agreements) and for R&D shared-cost projects (with commitments to
                co-finance from industry), on a scale commensurate with the Community resources proposed. This
                objective shall be testable in 1991 to 1992.
                At this time, the programme should also demonstrate its promotion and encouragement of inter-
                sectoral collaboration across the Member States and in Europe, in particular between enterprises
                including SMEs.
           3.   Particular objectives to be attained within three years of the programme implementation are as
                follows:
           3.1. that improved food evaluation and assessment techniques have been developed, in particular sensory
                analysis, and that the results have given grounds to expect that they will find applications which will
                benefit industry and/or the consumer,
           3.2. that new or improved, rapid tests for food hygiene, safety and toxicological aspects have been
                developed; 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 for industry and/or the consumer;
           3.3. that research and development has been conducted on the nutritional value of foods; that useful tests
                have been developed to measure the nutritional value of food constituents, including the effects of
                processing; and that as a result the nutritional and wholesomeness values of those foods are enhanced;
                and
           3.4. that studies and tests have been conducted for the development of new or improved, novel processing
                technologies or innovations which enhance food quality, safety and nutritional value and that, as a
                result of such studies and projects, new applications have been found.
           4.   In addition, the programme should ensure that the following general criteria are met:
           4.1. that the potential increase in market opportunities, in the medium or long-term, as a result of the
                improvements or benefits demonstrated, is of a size to justify the Community expenditures committed;
           4.2. that the consumer confidence in food research and industry is encouraged and high standards for
                consumer protection are maintained;
           4.3. that studies have been carried out on the potential structural and social effects of the application of the
                results;
           4.4. that the execution of the programme has avoided harmful effects on public health and the environ-
                ment, and has not created problems with respect to the protection and enhancement of nature;
           4.5. taking account of the results of Community, national or private sector research activities in food
                science and technology, the evaluation panel shall consider whether the Flair programme has
                contributed to the application of the results of the said research activities in regions of the Community
                other than those in which the research was conducted, and has produced added value attributable to
                the Community character of the programme (i.e. not readily obtainable via Member State actions
                alone).