European Parliament Energy Committee: Initial report on the Fourth Framework Programme The Energy Committee of the European Parliament will make an initial report on 23 June (during the Parliamentary sitting of 21-25 June 1993) on the Commission's proposal for a Council Decision on the Fourth Framework Programme of Community Research and Technological Developmen... The Energy Committee of the European Parliament will make an initial report on 23 June (during the Parliamentary sitting of 21-25 June 1993) on the Commission's proposal for a Council Decision on the Fourth Framework Programme of Community Research and Technological Development, 1994-1998 (COM(96) 276 of 16.6.1993). As the Fourth Framework Programme is one of the policy areas included in the joint decision making process defined in the Maastricht Treaty, the Energy Committee wishes to make general comments at this stage. Their first concern is the proposed budget (ECU 13,100 million overall during 1994-1998) which the Committee considers unlikely to be sufficient to fulfil the goals of the Maastricht Treaty and which falls below the 6% target of the general budget agreed by Community leaders at the 1985 Milan Summit. The Committee would like to see a special conference of experts, industrialists and representatives of research organizations discuss this question in the latter half of 1993. With regard to specific policy, the Committee emphasizes that renewable forms of energy should enjoy the same financial benefits as thermonuclear fusion. The Community should also itself play a role in nuclear research. Sectors important for industry such as micro-electronics, aviation and space technology must be targeted, while the common interests of the automobile industry such as traffic management and research into environmentally friendly cars should also be addressed. The Committee seeks to have 10% of total funding spent on pure research and on keeping abreast of modern developments. At the same time, the Committee considers that there is a need for other Community funds, such as the regional and social funds, to be involved in technological projects. In general the Framework Programme should be the subject of more technological assessment and closer monitoring than its predecessors.
