EESC welcomes FP7 as a 'step in the right direction'
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) says the Commission's proposal to increase expenditure on research and technological development under the Seventh Framework Programme is 'a welcome and absolutely necessary first step in the right direction'. The EESC has adopted Opinions on two Commission proposals, on the importance of Community-funded research and on development activities to help achieve the Lisbon objectives. According to the EESC, European cooperation opens up opportunities that go beyond the capacities of individual Member States and have already led to developments of global importance. The EESC urged Heads of State and Government and European industry to help reach the target of investing three per cent of GDP research and development, particularly through their national research programmes and industrial research agendas. Finally, the Committee welcomed the fundamental direction of the two framework programmes proposed by the Commission (FP7 and Euratom FP7), not only for their thematic content and structure, but also for the balance they strike between the objectives and components of the individual programmes. The EESC declared itself particularly pleased with the inclusion of specific programmes for energy, security and space.