Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-07-02-Speech-2-348"
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"en.20020702.15.2-348"2
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".
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, together with the decision on the framework programme itself and the specific programmes, the rules for participation and dissemination make up the third element of the system for implementing the research framework programme.
On all these points, and on many others, the in-depth and sustained discussions which took place between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission enabled us to reach an agreement.
The Commission is therefore able to accept formally the single compromise amendment which brings this agreement into being, and I believe that the Council has expressed the same sentiment.
One of the points of compromise to which I should like to draw your attention, I shall mention, in particular, the raising the minimum number of compulsory participants from two to three, the possible introduction of a two-stage evaluation of the proposals received, the restricting of anonymity to certain specific cases for the purposes of evaluating proposals, the reference to a greater number of criteria for evaluating proposals, both compulsory and optional criteria, such as activities, like those mentioned by Mrs McNally, intended to increase the role of women in research and to create synergy with education at all levels, the clarification of the way in which the responsibilities of the participants are exercised, the definition of the method of calculating the Community’s financial contribution to the networks of excellence – an issue which gave rise to many discussions – and the introduction of the concept of the consortium contract as an essential tool for setting up research projects.
I should just like to say a word about the Euratom participation rules. They are, to a great extent, similar to those laid down for the framework programme and are therefore acceptable. The only amendment not covered by the compromise provides for a rate of funding for Fusion Associations which unfortunately cannot be envisaged at this level within the limits of the planned budget allocation. The Commission cannot accept this, but we shall try to find a compromise.
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, despite the difficulties, thanks to the efforts and the willingness of the rapporteur, the participation rules for the sixth framework programme will be adopted tomorrow, I hope, at first reading. We have every cause to be happy about this. For the scientific community and for businesses, this is an essential element in the implementation of this framework programme which is an instrument of the European research area. I believe that the scientific community has already partly understood the message. More than fifteen thousand expressions of interest have been received and will be made public. This will enable us to prepare, in optimum conditions, the implementation of the framework programme between now and the end of the year.
Once again, I should like to thank Parliament for its contribution, which has been most constructive.
This third element is not the least important one. In fact, the rules for participation establish the legal and financial framework which governs the implementing and financing of the research activities of the sixth framework programme.
I should like to thank most sincerely the rapporteur, Mrs Quisthoudt-Rowohl, for the very thorough work which she has done on the proposal for these rules, in close collaboration with the intervention zones.
I should also like to thank the draftsmen, Mr Linkohr, Mrs Plooij-Van Gorsel, Mr Piétrasanta and Mr Alyssandrakis, as well as the chairman of the Committee on Industry, Mr Westendorp, for the excellent climate which they created during these discussions.
You are right, Mrs Quisthoudt-Rowohl, to emphasise that this agreement has been made possible thanks to the hard work during fruitful discussions in which everyone has been involved. Like you, I should like to emphasise the role of the Spanish Presidency, particularly in the person of Mr Marimón, and I believe that the outcome confirms our common desire to simplify and lighten the load compared with the preceding programme, at the same time retaining the necessary rigour.
The new model is based on the principle of greater autonomy for the consortiums, and this will be reinforced by the increased flexibility of the rules and contracts, and a substantial reduction in the administrative constraints that they face..
It was in fact our intention to make these rules simpler, lighter and easier to use, easier for participants to read and understand, and more flexible, without, however, ceasing to be rigorous.
You are also right, Mrs Quisthoudt-Rowohl, to make the point that thinking that the Commission was going to withdraw from all its prerogatives, and therefore its responsibilities, particularly as regards the assessment and selection of proposals to be financed, the selection of participants receiving Community funding, as well as the setting up of an effective programme for monitoring the funded projects and the decisions on what payments should be made, was only an impression. You emphasised that point, and it is in that context that the whole of the solidarity process should be interpreted.
Naturally, compared with the rules that prevail at present, the rules have also been adjusted to take into account new information available under the sixth framework programme, starting with the introduction of new instruments of financial support. One of the principal changes, some of which saw the light of day at Parliament’s initiative, is, in particular, the fact that participation in a research project – except for some individual cases – is open to any legal entity and not only to legal entities which have a specific research activity. Another change is that organisations in the acceding countries have been placed on an equal footing with those in the Member States of the Union as regards the conditions for their participation, which is a strong political signal at a time when we are talking about enlargement. Opening up participation and financing to include legal entities based in third countries involved in international cooperation activities also broadens the scope of the European research area. We should also mention the introduction of the opportunity of full participation for international European interest organisations, the reduction in the number of model contracts, and a new procedure for the entry into force of contracts, the simplification of the funding systems, the grant to the budget and the grant for integration for integrated projects and networks of excellence respectively, the use of audit certificates by participants in order to claim expenses, thereby giving greater financial security in conditions which involve fewer procedures, and, finally, the simplification of the rules regarding intellectual property, with the single defining principle of an overall framework and of general principles to be observed, while the detailed provisions may vary depending on the type of action."@en1
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