Parliament adopts reports on RTD policy
The European Parliament adopted a number of reports focusing on research and development policy at its meeting in Brussels on 5-6 June 1996. The reports adopted at the plenary session included: - Report on the Commission's Green Paper on Innovation; - Report on the Commission's report on the evaluation of the EURET programme (European research on transport 1991-1994); - Report on the Commission's communication on perspectives for international cooperation in research and technological development. Parliament welcomed the Green Paper on Innovation and the proposed actions contained in it. However, MEPs picked out several areas that they felt would benefit from strengthening, in particular greater links between the INNOVATION programme and other RTD programmes (for more detailed information on Parliament's report, see RTD-News RCN 6083) As regards EURET, Parliament feels strongly that the evaluation had been carried out poorly and too late. Therefore, the recommendations from the evaluation had no bearing on the design of the TRANSPORT programme under the Fourth Framework Programme. The report calls for the Commission to implement the evaluation's recommendations, although in Parliament's view these are limited by the evaluation methodology used. In its report on the perspectives for international RTD cooperation, Parliament stresses the need for the Commission to take into account the difference between scientific and technical cooperation (dissemination of scientific and technical knowledge) and cooperation in RTD (development of products for industrial and commercial purposes). Parliament also calls for Commission action in the areas of intellectual property rights, reciprocal participation in other countries' RTD programmes, and links with other international RTD actions. Parliament would also like to see individual technical steering committees set up between the EC and partner countries in each major area of cooperation, and asks the Commission to distinguish between EU applicant countries, industrialized countries, and developing countries in formulating arrangements for scientific and technical collaboration, particularly by distinguishing between association, cooperation and assistance. Parliament also adopted at second reading the proposed Regulation amending Regulation (EEC) No 1973/92 establishing a financial instrument for the environment (LIFE). Parliament calls for the financial reference amount contained in the Council's common position to be increased from ECU 450 million for the period 1996-1999 to ECU 600 million. It also wishes to place a higher priority on water resources in the Regulation and to introduce clearer specifications for the assessment procedures for projects. The proposed Regulation will now return to the Council of Ministers for a final decision.