EURATOM: SEVENTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME FOR
NUCLEAR RESEARCH AND TRAINING ACTIVITES (6185/05, 8087/05, 12727/05,
12729/05, 12730/05, 12731/05, 12732/05, 12734/05, 12736/05, 5057/06,
9981/06, 10233/06, 10234/06, 10235/06, 10237/06, 10238/06, 10239/06,
10240/06)
Letter from Malcolm Wicks MP, Minister
of State for Science and Innovation, Department of Trade and Industry
to the Chairman
Further to Lord Sainsbury's letter of 27 July
2006[26]
reporting the outcome of the Extraordinary Competitiveness Council
on 24 July, I write to update your Committee on progress with
the Seventh Framework Programme.
I am pleased to report that, following the positive
outcome of the European Parliament session yesterday, it is very
likely that final agreement can be reached on this dossier before
the end of the year and that this important Community instrument
will be fully operational from 1 January 2007.
It is the Presidency's intention that Council
will adopt the 11 pieces of legislation listed above at its meeting
on 12 December. The final official texts will not be available
until the end of next week and there will not be time for them
to be scrutinised by your Committee before that meeting. I therefore
enclose the working documents, the content of which will not change
further. As you will see, although a number of minor changes have
been made as a result of the European Parliament's first reading/second
reading/opinion yesterday, they do not change the substance of
the decisions and the majority are fully consistent with the UK's
negotiating position and the Explanatory Memoranda already cleared
by your Committee. Given the number of texts involved, I thought
it would be useful to summarise the notable changes made in tabular
form (see Annex A). As you know, all of the earlier texts
were cleared by your Committee, except for EM 12732/05. As the
issues raised at that time, regarding nuclear security and the
Euratom budget to which Lord Sainsbury responsed on 28 November
2005 have been resolved to the satisfaction of the UK and in light
of the fact that the cleared EM 10239/06 is an amendment, we hope
that your Committee is now able to lift its scrutiny reserve on
EM 12732/05.
The Government is content with the 11 revised
texts, which maintain UK priorities, and therefore we intend to
take a favourable position on the entire FP7 "package"
at the Council on 12 December.
4 December 2006
Annex A
| Decision | Summary of notable changes*
|
EC "Framework Programme"
(Annex 1)
| Although no change is made to the total budget, very minor changes (typically €50 million or 0.1%) have been made to the distribution of the budget—increasing some of the thematic priorities (eg health, ICT, energy and security) primarily at the expense of research infrastructures. A presentational change is made to the title of the second thematic priority by adding the word "fisheries" (but no real change is made to the subsequent text).
|
| Euratom "Framework Programme" (Annex 2)
| There is a minor revision in relation to nuclear fission limiting the role of the JRC on innovative fuel cycles to safety aspects.
|
EC "Rules for Participation"
(Annex 3)
| The main revisions to the text are the setting of a 60% reimbursement rate for indirect costs, a new annex laying down how the participant guarantee fund will operate and an increase from 50 to 75% in the reimbursement rate for certain types of security related research.
|
| Euratom "Rules for Participation" (Annex 4)
| There are numerous technical revisions but none of major importance.
|
| EC Specific Programme "Cooperation" (Annex 5)
| Further clarity is provided with respect to the comitology arrangements for FP7—confirming that research involving human embryos and security research should be dealt with by a regulatory committee (**) and recognising the need for approval of projects by the Member States. Numerous minor additions are made to Annex 1—primarily to expand the level of detail in the areas of research listed (eg lists starting with the word "including").
|
| EC Specific Programme "Ideas" (Annex 6)
| The amendments clarify the governance structure of the ERC by stating explicitly that the delivery agency will be established as an Executive Agency under Regulation No 58/2003. They explain the processes for appointing members of the Scientific Council and the term of office of Council members. Annex 1 contains wording which permits the Council to appoint a Secretary General to assist it in its collaboration with the delivery agency and monitor programme execution. Amendments clarify and expand the processes of the mid term review and state that this will examine the advantages and disadvantages of a structure established under Article 171 as compared with an Executive Agency model.
|
| EC Specific Programmes "Capacities" (Annex 7)
| The amendments make minor changes to the budget allocation
(eg reducing the Infrastructures programme to €1.715 million from €1.850 million). Changes to Annex 1 stress the central role of Member States in the development and financing of infrastructures and underline the importance of improving access to and integration of existing infrastructures in Europe. They stress the primary role of the ESFRI Road map in setting priorities for the construction of new infrastructures and confine FP7 support to preparatory activities. There are also minor changes to the other elements of the specific programmes.
|
| EC Specific Programme "People" (Annex 8)
| Minor changes in Annex 1 underline the importance of encouraging research as a career, stressing the need to take gender and family issues into account and introducing additional flexibility into eligibility criteria to take account of career breaks. They also strengthen the provisions concerning the action to co-fund national mobility schemes which make it clear that this will be launched on a controlled scale to start with. They reinforce the stress on inter-sectoral mobility in the Industry Academia Partnerships and Pathways action.
|
| EC Specific Programme "JRC" (Annex 9)
| The revisions clarify that the JRC must maintain scientific excellence at European level; ensure accessibility (including for non-European researchers) whilst safeguarding financial integrity; be transparent in setting its research priorities; attempt to involve SMEs more; avoid overlapping and duplication of FP activities; and support development of risk assessment and management procedures in European decision making. More minor revisions concern specific support for the European Chemicals Agency when established and advising on an appropriate European energy mix, emissions measurement and conflict prevention.
|
Euratom Specific Programme
(Annex 10)
| Revisions indicate the need to guarantee the earliest possible training of nuclear scientists and engineers through joint training activities. Other amendments strengthen the focus of the Programme on safety and sustainability issues. Within the overall fusion budget at least €900 million will be reserved to non-ITER activities to ensure that there was adequate funding for an accompanying fusion research programme to be conducted in Member States including the UK.
|
| Euratom Specific Programme "JRC" (Annex 11)
| Other minor revisions seek to promote the JRC's role in networking scientists, facilitating a European energy debate and preventing the loss of knowledge from the nuclear community.
|
* Consequentional changes made to the specific programmes as a result of changes to the high level Framework Programme are not recorded twice.
** The comitology arrangements in respect of research involving human embryos are repeated in all the EC Specific Programmes.
|
Letter from the Chairman to Malcolm Wicks MP
Thank you for your letter dated 4 December 2006. Sub-Committee
B considered your letter at its meeting on 11 December.
We were pleased to note that the outstanding issues surrounding
nuclear safety and the Euratom budget have been settled "to
the satisfaction of the UK" and are thus content to lift
scrutiny on EM 12732/05.
We are keen that the Seventh Framework Programme is not prevented
from operating as planned from 1 January 2007, and hope that the
dossier will be agreed as expected in Council on 12 December.
12 December 2006
26
Correspondence with Ministers, 40th Report of Session 2006-07,
HL Paper 187, p 74. Back
|
