ESC draft opinion on the Fifth Framework Programme
The "Section for Energy, Nuclear Questions and Research" of the Economic and Social Committee of the European Communities (ESC) has approved a draft opinion on the Commission's proposal for the Fifth Framework Programme. The opinion, approved in the presence of Mrs. Edith Cresson, Commissioner responsible for research policy, will now be submitted for definitive adoption at the ESC plenary session on 1-2 October 1997. Drafted by Mr. Barnabei (Italy - Employers' Group), the opinion lays great stress on the need for greater concentration, flexibility, coordination and consistency of Community research activities at a time of market globalization, acceleration of the innovation process and enlargement of the EU. In particular, the opinion highlights the need to: - Closely coordinate resources at regional, national, European and EU levels, given that EU resources represent only 4% of the overall resources in the European system; - Re-establish a climate of trust between EU research and the public, with clearer, accessible, open and low-cost procedures; - Provide clear time frames and direction for a common strategy based on agreed and accepted technological/industrial scenarios, building on a new interinstitutional role for the Joint Research Centre; - Concentrate research efforts on only ten key actions (as compared to the 16 proposed by the Commission) with a minimum threshold of public and private resources of at least ECU 1,000 million, with precise short-, medium- and long-term objectives and a predetermined timeframe; - Increase the drive for innovation, giving it a clear role in the key actions and the specific programmes and stepping up the horizontal actions in support of small businesses, boosting international cooperation, and making research training and mobility more industry-oriented; - Launch basic technical/legal schemes pursuant to the Treaty provision on supplementary programmes, "variable geometry" activities and joint undertakings (Articles 130k, l and m). With regard to the funding to be made available for RTD under the Fifth Framework Programme, the ESC draft opinion proposes a budget of ECU 17 billion for the duration of the Programme (1998-2002). The budgetary proposal from the European Commission is currently in the process of being finalized and is expected shortly.