z zaskrbljenostjo ugotavlja, da nekatere države članice dokaj skromno sodelujejo v sedmem okvirnem programu, kar ne pripomore k teritorialni koheziji in uravnoteženemu razvoju v Evropi; meni, da bi boljše usklajevanje, povezanost in sinergija med sedmim okvirnim programom ter strukturnimi skladi in kohezijskim skladom, pa tudi boljša izkoriščenost programa Ljudje lahko izboljšali udeležbo držav članic, ki so nezadostno zastopane; meni, da bi lahko vse države članice z uporaba strukturnih skladov za okrepitev raziskovalne infrastrukture in spodbujanjem gradnje zmogljivosti v raziskavah in inovacijah dosegle višjo raven odličnosti (pot k odličnosti); zato pozdravlja ustanovitev strokovne skupine o sinergijah, ki naj bi poiskala sinergije med sedmim okvirnim programom, strukturnimi skladi in programom za konkurenčnost in inovacije; vendar poudarja, da je treba obvezno razlikovati med merili za sedmi okvirni program in strukturne sklade, saj bi moralo pri dodeljevanju sredstev prvega prevladati načelo odličnosti, da se zagotovi največja možna dodana vrednost raziskav, razvoja in inovacij v Evropi; opozarja, da je v kohezijskem skladu za obdobje 2007–2013 namenjenih 86 milijard EUR za podporo inovacijam (25 % celotnega zneska), od česar je za osnovni raziskovalni in tehnološki razvoj predvidenih 50 milijard EUR, kar je enako celotnemu proračunu sedmega okvirnega programa; poudarja, da je pomembna ozemeljska razsežnost raziskav in razvoja, ko se pri oblikovanju politik upoštevajo posebne potrebe in zmožnosti posameznih ozemelj (pametna specializacija); zato meni, da je ključno vključevanje regionalnih in lokalnih organov v spodbujanje raziskav in inovacijskih zmogljivosti v posameznih regijah; priporoča, naj se sedanja neporabljena sredstva v proračunu EU do konca leta 2013 in načrtovana sredstva za obdobje 2014–2020 odločneje usmerijo v inovacije, znanost in raziskave, tako z vidika človeških virov kot razvoja in infrastrukture;
Notes with concern the relatively modest participation of certain Member States in FP7, which does not contribute to the territorial cohesion and a balanced development in Europe; is of the opinion that a better coordination, coherence and synergy between FP7 and the Structural and Cohesion Funds, as well as a better use of the People programme, could improve the participation of under-represented Member States; believes that by using the Structural Funds to strengthen research infrastructure and foster capacity building in research and innovation, all Member States can be enabled to reach a higher level of excellence (stairway to excellence); welcomes therefore the setting up of the Synergies Expert Group (SEG), set up to find synergies between FP7, the Structural Funds and the CIP; stresses, however, the absolute need to distinguish between criteria for FP7 and Structural Funds, as the principle of excellence (under the sole management and coordination by the Commission) should prevail when allocating FP7 funding in order to ensure maximum added value to RDI in Europe; points out with satisfaction that for the period 2007-2013 within the Cohesion Funds EUR 86 billion is allocated in support for innovation (25% of the total amount), of which the allocation for core research and technological development amounts to EUR 50 billion, equal to the total budget of FP7; stresses the importance of the territorial dimension of R&D, taking the specific needs and capabilities of the territories into account when devising policies (‘smart specialisation’); therefore, sees the involvement of regional and local authorities as crucial in enhancing the research and innovation capacity of their region; recommends that the present unspent funds remaining in the EU budget up until the end of 2013 and those programmed for the period 2014-2020 be even more strongly orientated towards innovation, science and research, both in terms of human resources, development and infrastructure;