New Research Commissioner pays first visit to JRC
Philippe Busquin, the EU's new Research Commissioner, visited the main site of the Commission's own research laboratories in Ispra, Italy, on 4 October. Mr Busquin has taken on responsibility for the Joint Research Centre, and this first visit to the JRC served both to introduce himself to the staff and to familiarise himself with the work carried out there. Busquin's visit saw equal attention given to the two main lines of JRC activity, firstly, research carried out under the Fifth Framework Programme, which includes both work entrusted directly to the JRC and projects for which the JRC bids in partnership with other European researchers in response to calls for proposals. The second main area of JRC activity is to support EU policies, for example in fields such as environmental protection and setting standards. The JRC's support work here covers the full spectrum, from conception and development of policies to implementation and monitoring. Among the activities aimed at improving the quality of life of European citizens seen by the Commissioner were the European Laboratory for Structural Assessment (ELSA) which is looking at new standards for earthquake resistant buildings; the IDEA project which is developing electronic 'identity cards' for livestock, so that Europe's 600 million farm animals can be tracked easily from birth to slaughterhouse; and the biomedical materials and systems laboratory which is researching biocompatible materials used for prostheses and produces radiotracers used to diagnose cancer and neurological diseases. The Commissioner was particularly interested in the work of the recently created Institute for Health and Consumer Protection, given the dioxin crisis and heightened public concern over food safety in Europe. The Institute also works on tests of quality and authenticity in food, serving to raise standards of consumer protection. The Commission will shortly be publishing a White Paper on food safety, for which the Institute's work will be a valuable contribution. Mr Busquin was impressed by the nature and quality of the activities carried out by the JRC's staff, and called for further strengthening of its scientific expertise in those areas of most concern to citizens. He underlined the importance of the JRC's provision of validation and verification services at European level, vital for the EU's Member States where controversial issues are concerned. The final part of Busquin's visit was an inspection of the JRC's nuclear installations, in view of the coming discussions on nuclear decommissioning. This will be on the agenda of the next Research Council meeting in December, and the manner in which the EU proposes to deal with the decommissioning of its own nuclear facilities will be followed keenly.
Countries
Italy