A3-0192/93

Resolution on the Commission working documents concerning the Fourth Framework Programme of Community activities in the field of Research and Technological Development (1994-1998)

The European Parliament,

-having regard to Rule 121 of its Rules of Procedure,

-having regard to the first and second Commission working documents concerning the Fourth Framework Programme of Community activities in the field of Research and Technological Development (1994-1998) (COM(92)0406 and COM(93)0158),

-having regard to the Commission communication to the Council and the European Parliament entitled 'Research after Maastricht: an assessment, a strategy (SEC(92)0682)' and 'Industrial Policy in an Open and Competitive Environment' (Supplement 3/91 to the Bulletin of the European Communities),

-having regard to the conclusions of the European Council meeting in Edinburgh on 11 and 12 December 1992,

-having regard to the conclusions of the European Research Council of 29 April 1993,

- having regard to its resolution of 17 September 1992 on Europe's response to the modern technological challenge,

-having regard to the report of the Committee on Energy, Research and Technology and the opinions of the Committee on Budgets, the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy and the Committee on Social Affairs, Employment and the Working Environment (A3-0192/93),

1.Assumes that the Fourth Framework Programme on Research will be treated pursuant to Article 189b (Co-decision by Parliament) of the Treaty on European Union and therefore views its opinion on the Commission working documents principally as a political guideline, not as part of its legislative activities;

2.Will not express its final opinion until the Treaty on European Union has been ratified by all the Member States;

3.Does not consider the budget allocated to the Fourth Framework Programme on Research sufficient to respond to the needs of our society or fulfil all the tasks envisaged in the Treaty on European Union;

4.Calls on the Commission to submit an initial assessment of the Third Framework Programme to coincide with consultation on the Fourth Framework Programme;

5.Calls on the Council and the Commission not to include the costs of the THERMIE programme in the Framework Programme, but to finance it separately, as has been done hitherto;

6.Calls on the Council to give greater priority, in a context of recession and growing unemployment, to research as a factor in economic and social development and recalls the 1985 Milan summit, where it was planned to allocate 6% of the general budget to research;

7.Therefore undertakes to organize, together with the Commission, industry and research organizations, a 'European science summit' which will consider the aims of European research policy and the financial resources to be employed in an international context, which requires a sustained effort for the benefit of research;

8.Points out that there are large discrepancies between the Member States in their level of support for research and fears that, consequently, instead of a convergence of the regions' economic performance, they will drift still further apart;

9.With reference to Article 130i(2) of the EEC Treaty, calls for the Framework Programme to be reviewed in 1996 and adapted to the new scientific, technical and financial situation and insists that provision is made to review the financial resources during the period of the programme;

10.Considers it necessary to safeguard the pre-competitive character specific to the research activities of Community framework programmes, but believes there is an urgent need to prepare, through a framework programme, all those instruments concerned with finance, both public and private, with tax incentives and anything else which would guarantee real exploitation of the results of research by Community undertakings, in order to utilize Community investment in research and technological development and make it genuinely profitable;

11.Calls on the Commission to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the new Article 130h and to take measures to coordinate the policies and programmes of individual Member States;

12.Considers international cooperation imperative, particularly in research and technological development, and calls on the Commission and the Council to seek closer cooperation not only with the industrialized nations but also with the developing countries;

13.Takes the view that major international projects such as thermo-nuclear fusion should be subject to parliamentary monitoring, which would entail some MPs from the Member States involved, appointed by the relevant committees, being kept constantly informed on the latest developments and on technical and financial problems;

14.Takes the view that, given the low level of resources available, programmes should be concentrated on main themes;

15.Regards research as only one part of industrial policy, recalls that according to the Union Treaty, research and development policy should be at the service of the other Community policies, and calls on the Commission to take industrial policy initiatives, to be provided with specific funds, which should not lead to a reduction in the funds devoted to Community and ECSC research and development policy;

16.Stresses that the availability of sufficient highly-qualified human resources is a fundamental element in the future competitiveness of industry, and for this reason the training of researchers must be a fundamental objective of the Fourth Framework Programme;

17.Calls on the Commission to pay more attention to strengthening economic and social cohesion by taking into account the geographical impact of the R&D activities, and notably by identifying a number of research themes which are particularly adapted to the needs of the less-developed regions;

18.Stresses that the criterion of scientific quality, which has been and must continue to be an essential criterion in Community R&D, is perfectly compatible with the introduction of mechanisms favouring the effective participation of groups from less-developed regions and thus making progress towards the goal of economic and social cohesion;

19.Calls for the Structural Funds and the Development Fund to be more strongly orientated towards technologically relevant projects;

20.Considers technology transfer and the dissemination of results to be particularly significant, above all in the economically weaker regions of the Community, and calls on the Commission to take into account these essential objectives in the planning and operation of each specific programme, and to submit proposals enabling contract research organisations such as the EACRO to play a more important role in attaining these objectives;

21.Urgently calls for a revision of the rules on allocation of funds, so as to speed up the appraisal of project proposals and keep expenditure on bureaucracy to an absolute minimum;

22.Recalls that SMUs account for over 72% of jobs in manufacturing industry in Europe and that the Framework Programme should therefore enable these undertakings to benefit substantially from R&D aid;

23.In this connection takes the view that European economic organizations should play a greater role in preparing and implementing research programmes;

24.Calls on the Commission to cooperate more closely with national scientific organizations and research centres with a view to improving coordination of research programmes, and also to open management posts in research centres to nationals of other countries;

25.Reiterates its demand that renewable energies must be given an important place in research and also in the field of demonstration and therefore expects expenditure for the THERMIE programme and research to be increased;

26.Reiterates its demand that research into renewable forms of energy be given the same weight as thermo-nuclear fusion research;

27.Calls on the Commission to reserve 10% of research funds for pure research, not linked to particular projects, to keep pace with scientific developments within the next five years;

28.Considers that the 'European Decade of the Brain' can be a model multidisciplinary programme combining biological research with data processing, artificial intelligence, etc. and creating new prospects for the future;

29.Calls on the Commission to be more willing to acknowledge the importance of social research as an essential factor in cohesion and integration;

30.Considers that a reorganization of technological assessment (TA) is urgently needed, not forgetting that TA is only of use in the context of continuous monitoring of current research projects and their possible effects on mankind and the environment;

31.Considers that a reorganisation of the evaluation of Community R&D policy is urgently needed covering its regional impact, the size of undertakings and sectors that have benefitted and an estimation of the economic consequences at regional, national and European level;

32.Considers that the Commission should provide for more systematic financial control;

33.Calls on the Commission, together with the European Investment Bank, to propose a new concept for risk capital in the research field with special reference to private and public sources of risk capital for technology transfer, dissemination and exploitation in small and medium-sized companies;

34.Takes the view that the 'Global Change' project should also be carried out on a European scale and that the Commission should take on a coordinating role;

35.Considers that closer coordination of policies on research, the regions and development is urgently required as an effective and purposeful way of tackling such problems as water, traffic, the future of urban areas, energy and the environment;

36.Considers there is an urgent need for regional research projects in areas such as the Mediterranean, the Alps and the North Sea and recommends that they be coordinated by an existing research centre or that a new one be set up;

37.Considers it imperative to ensure scientific monitoring of all EC policies, pursuant to the provisions of the Maastricht Treaty, and therefore calls for greater impetus to be given to activities in various areas such as food quality, clean air and industrial safety;

38.Takes the view that the Commission should contribute to coordinating and supporting European research for the development of public transport and, in the automobile industry, give priority to safety and pollution prevention;

39.Takes the view that the Commission should contribute to coordinating and supporting European research and development in the areas of earth observation data and environmental data, including coordination of national efforts;

40.Maintains that a European dimension to nuclear safety research is essential, not least in order to prevent renationalization and to contribute to international nuclear safety;

41.Urges the Commission to provide increased support to innovative small and medium-sized undertakings in the sphere of information technology;

42.Calls for a demand-led research policy, particularly in the field of information and communications technologies, so that supply and demand can complement each other and demand policy, which is often stimulated by the State, can provide support for research;

43.Takes the view that the Joint Research Centre (JRC) should play a key role in Community research in certain areas such as the environment, industrial safety and prenormative research;

44.Is opposed to research in particular sectors, nevertheless recommends focusing on a few major themes so that it is clear that European research is making a significant contribution towards solving our problems;

45.Calls on the Commission to devise incentives to increase the level of participation of women in European research;

46.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the parliaments of the Member States.