Denmark is taking over the Presidency at a time when the most important decisions about European Research Policy in future years are almost in place. The Presidency will therefore ensure that the Council has a thorough debate on the principles for future European research cooperation based on the plans for setting up the European Research Area.
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The Danish Presidency 
The enlargement of the Union is the Danish Presidency's top priority. In the research field, the Candidate Countries have already participated for several years on an equal footing with the Member States through association agreements. This cooperation will continue in the coming Sixth Framework Programme, irrespective of when the individual countries become members of the Union.
Growth, welfare and sustainable development is another important theme in the Government's programme for the Presidency. Research and innovation will make useful contributions to progress in these areas through the research programmes.
The Union's future development has been put on the agenda with the work being carried out by the European Convention on institutional reform. A debate about future research work is well in line with the Convention's deliberations on what we should do at Community level, and what we should manage nationally.
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Sixth Framework Programme
The basis for implementing the Sixth Framework Programme for research and technological development is by being in place. The Sixth Framework Programme was approved on 3 June, after agreement was reached between the European Parliament and the Council. The next decision is a regulation on rules for participation and use of results from the research carried out. The negotiations have progressed so far that at the beginning of the Danish Presidency a decision can be made on a modernised basis for the implementation of the research programmes.
Finally, a decision should be made as quickly as possible on the five specific programmes that contain a more detailed description of the research tasks eligible for support under the Sixth Framework Programme.
We also face detailed clarification of future financing models and the model contract that will be the basis for participation in networks of excellence, integrated projects, research and development projects, etc., that will be the backbone for future European cooperation.
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Opening of national programmes
The Commission has announced that in July proposals will be presented on the opening of national research programmes to combat the three poverty diseases: tuberculosis, malaria and AIDS. This will involve a completely new form of cooperation, based on Article 169 in the Treaty. The main principle will be that countries wishing to participate with national programmes will be included in the cooperation on establishing a European platform. This cooperation model has not been used before, so it will be a major operation with regard to creating the basis for a Council decision.
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The European Research Area
Since the beginning of 2000, the question of the European Research Area (ERA) has been a central item on the research policy agenda. A number of initiatives have been initiated with regard to promoting the development of the European knowledge society.
The Commission has announced that at the beginning of the Danish Presidency it will present a communication on progress and perspectives of ERA. It is also planning a communication on how we will achieve the goal of investing 3 percent of GDP in research and innovation by 2010.
The Danish Presidency will therefore have a good basis for setting up a general debate in the Council on how far we have progressed with the European Research Area, and what steps should be taken to take development further.
During the Danish Presidency it is planned that resolutions will be approved in the Council which will set the agenda for the European debate on making ERA a reality.
There will be a need to consider four main questions:
Firstly we must discuss the general and common objectives for the development of ERA, in both the short and long term.
There is a need for clarification of how far it will be possible to move towards common goals for the further development of cooperation on research and innovation.
Secondly we should consider how we can consolidate the Lisbon process.
If research and innovation are to be kept high on the European agenda, it must be considered how the Research Council can contribute to qualifying the debate on the role of research in developing the knowledge society.
At previous years' summits in Lisbon (2000), Stockholm (2001) and Barcelona (2002), heads of state and government set objectives which can only be achieved if research and innovation make a special contribution. There is a need for us, through debate and decisions in the Research Council to make our contribution to overall European development.
Thirdly we must consider the need for new initiatives.
The debate about ERA has already resulted in a number of initiatives which aim to contribute to the realisation of the European Research Area.
This include benchmarking of research and innovation, mobility, the research infrastructure in Europe, and the mutual opening of national programmes.
There is a need to consider whether new initiatives are needed if the necessary momentum in the cooperation is to be maintained.
Fourthly we should consider the role of different European cooperation organisations in the future. The framework programme will play a leading role in making ERA a reality. However, the framework programme will be supplemented by other activities, for example within the framework of other European cooperation fora.
During the Danish Presidency we will focus especially on the role that COST and EUREKA can play in the European Research Area.
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A European strategy for bioscience and biotechnology
The Commission has proposed that an action plan be implemented to ensure that the European biotechnological potential is used to the best possible advantage. During the Presidency a major conference will be held in Copenhagen where, based on the proposed action plan, it will be discussed what aspirations European industry has for future input for research and innovation efforts.
There will probably be a need for the Council to adopt resolutions on overall guidelines for the necessary prioritisation of the activities.
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Framework agreement between the European Community and ESA (European Space Agency).
The Commission has been authorized by the Council to negotiate with regard to creating the basis for entering into an agreement on the European cooperation on developing a space policy in the Union. It is anticipated that the negotiations will produce results so that the Council will have an opportunity to discuss this issue in November.
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Agreements between the European Community and third countries
Denmark attaches importance to ensuring that research cooperation is performed as an open proces vis-à-vis the rest of the world, and it is expected that several more cooperation agreements will become ready for processing.
