MEPs back proposed FP6 budget but propose amendments to priorities
The European Parliament's Industry, external trade, research and energy committee has recommended amendments to the Commission's proposals for priority areas in the Sixth Framework programme (FP6) which would see the inclusion of land and sea transport and major diseases as additional research priorities. The committee agreed on the overall structure of the Framework programme, agreed that each subsection should have its own budget and also its own expert advisory group, but voted to divide two of the subsections. The chapter on 'Energy, sustainable development, biodiversity and global change' should be divided into three parts, namely energy; sustainable development and global change; and transport. In the Commission's proposal, aeronautics is the only transport area selected as a thematic priority, The committee would also like to see the chapter 'Life sciences for health and safety' expanded to include research into major diseases such as cancer in addition to genomics and biotechnology as proposed by the Commission. MEPs also approved the 16.270 billion budget for the next Framework programme as proposed by the Commission, although the budgetary division between the different subsections is yet to be discussed by the committee. This figure does not include funding for the Euratom research programme. The committee adopted an amendment calling for a new instrument, a 'stairway of excellence'. This initiative would enable potential but inexperienced project participant institutions to evolve into 'centres of excellence'. MEPs also expressed concern that the instruments in the existing framework programme are not abandoned completely, and called for a smooth transition between Framework programmes.