CORDIS Archive

Parliament and Council reach agreement on Fifth RTD Framework Programme - Conciliation Committee, Strasbourg 17 November 1998

Download the Joint Text Agreed by the Conciliation Committee

The European Parliament and the Council have agreed on a maximum overall amount of ECU 14,960 million for the Fifth RTD Framework Programme (1998-2002) during the fourth meeting of the Conciliation Committee held in Strasbourg on 17 November 1998. According to the terms of the agreement, a sum of ECU 13,700 million is earmarked for the Fifth EC RTD Framework Programme. The remaining ECU 1,260 million is set aside for research activities in the nuclear sector under the Fifth Euratom RTD Framework Programme.

As soon as the texts have been finalised in the official Community languages, both institutions will have six weeks to confirm the agreement definitively (by an absolute majority of the votes cast in the case of the Parliament, and by unanimity in the case of the Council), subject to which the legislative decision will be adopted. Given the urgency of the issue, it is anticipated both institutions will do their utmost to adopt this decision as soon as possible, so as to enable the Council to adopt the decisions concerning the specific programmes before the end of the year.

The main issue of the conciliation has been the maximum overall amount for the Programme, and its breakdown for two periods, 1998-1999 and 2000-2002. The aim has been to ensure that the financial allocation for 2000-2002 is consistent with the Community's new financial perspectives which will cover the period 2000-2006. These new perspectives have not yet been adopted.

In this context, the negotiating parties agreed that for the Fifth EC RTD Framework Programme a sum of ECU 3,140 million would be allocated for 1999 and ECU 10,560 million for 2000-2002. However, if the figure of ECU 10,560 million is inconsistent with the financial perspectives in force for 2000-2002, the European parliament and the Council will set a new maximum overall amount to align the Fifth Framework Programme budget with the new financial perspectives - the Council will adapt the budgets of the specific programmes to align them with this new maximum overall amount.

Pending these two decisions, the specific programmes will not be implemented beyond the amount provided for the implementation of the programmes in 1999.

Download the Joint Text approved by the Conciliation Committee

Available in Rich Text Format (RTF)

See also the Commission Press Release in English and French