6th Framework Research Programme: final deal on the rules (codecision and consultation, compromise covers both)

Strasbourg, 03 July 2002

Godelieve QUISTHOUDT-ROWOHL (EPP-ED, D)
Report on the amended proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the rules for the participation of undertakings, research centres and universities and for the dissemination of research results for the implementation of the European Community framework programme 2002-2006
Doc.: A5-0203/2002 [may not be available yet]
Procedure: Codecision procedure (1st reading)
Debate: 02.07.2002
Vote: 03.07.2002

and

Godelieve QUISTHOUDT-ROWOHL (EPP-ED, D)
Report on the amended proposal for a Council decision concerning the rules for the participation of undertakings, research centres and universities in the implementation of the framework programme 2002-2006 of the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom)
Doc.: A5-0205/2002
Procedure: Consultation procedure
Debate: 02.07.2002
Vote : 03.07.2002

Parliament today adopted a compromise deal reached with the Spanish Presidency on the rules for participation in the 6th Framework R&D Programme. This is the first reading under the codecision procedure but Godelieve QUISTHOUDT-ROWOHL (EPP-ED, D) emphasised the importance of adopting the rules at a single reading of Parliament and Council.

The compromise takes into account the main concerns expressed by MEPs. They insisted there should be an option for projects to be evaluated through a two-stage procedure and this will now be the case. The scientific and technological excellence of an application and the degree of innovation will be the first criterion for selection, as MEPs wanted. In applying the main criteria the Commission will also be able to take into account completely new criteria proposed by MEPs such as synergies with education, capacity to engage with actors beyond the research community, and activities to increase the role of women in research.

The compromise also covers the rules for participation for the 6th Euratom Research Framework Programme but here MEPs also passed some non-binding amendments. One relates to fusion research: Parliament thinks that under the 6th programme the support rate should stay as close as possible to that of the 5th programme in order to maintain an adequate level of work on fusion within the integrated European fusion programme. Parliament wants the support rate to be 24% while the Commission proposal is only 17.5%.

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European Parliament Daily Notebook 2002-07-03
http://www.europarl.eu.int/home/default en.htm