Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-11-29-Speech-3-178"
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"en.20061129.18.3-178"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, first I wish to mention that Mauri Pekkarinen, Minister for Trade and Industry, to whose field this Framework Programme belongs, will unfortunately not be here this evening owing to illness. For that reason, it is my pleasure and honour to represent the Council in this debate myself. On account of this illness, the Presidency will not have representation at ministerial level at tomorrow’s press conference, but I am sure that it will go well.
The European Community’s Seventh Research Framework Programme is one of the most important of the Community’s measures to implement the Lisbon Strategy and improve European competitiveness. The Community’s measures for research and development are crucial if this goal is to be achieved. The budget for the Framework Programme over seven years is more than EUR 50 billion. That makes it the biggest Framework Programme ever in terms of budget and the longest-lasting one to boot.
The interinstitutional agreement on the Community’s financial framework was approved last May. As a result, we managed to bring to a successful conclusion the negotiations conducted by Parliament and the Council, even though the timetable was a tight one. I do hope that we will keep to our ambitious timetable and conclude the legislative work for the Framework Programme by the end of the year.
In this connection, I wish to thank the European Parliament for this compromise, and especially the rapporteurs Jerzy Buzek and Philippe Busquin, Chairman of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy Giles Chichester, the shadow rapporteurs and numerous other Members who have been active in finding a common solution. In particular, I also want to thank Commissioner Potočnik for his constructive input in taking the negotiations forward. Finland, in its capacity as President of the Council, has been able to rely in its work on the results achieved by former presidencies, especially that of Austria.
The Commission’s draft proposal on the Framework Programme contained numerous new ambitious initiatives, such as the European Research Council, joint technology initiatives and the Risk-sharing Finance Facility. At times the negotiations were very difficult; for example, with regard to the initiatives mentioned. The outcome of the talks had meant a lot of work, considerable flexibility, and a genuine desire for compromise on the part of Parliament, the Commission and the Council.
With this in mind, I would like to mention that the Council in its common position adopted Parliament’s amendment to the principles that steer financing for stem cell research under the Framework Programme. The Commission made a determined effort to find agreement, for which I want to thank the Commissioner.
To my mind, the result is an ambitious, though balanced Programme. It provides an excellent basis for Community measures in the area of research and development for the next seven years. One important aim of the Commission’s proposal for the participation rules was to simplify participation. In this connection, Parliament’s dynamic role has made it a lot easier for all researchers to participate fully in the Framework Programme.
The Finnish Presidency is happy to see that there are packages of amendments to vote on, amendments that are based on the outcome of the trilogue negotiations. I can confirm that these amendments have the approval of the Council. I hope, however, that the outcome of negotiations will remain unchanged in view of the other amendments tabled.
I hope that Parliament will adopt the decisions on the Seventh Research Framework Programme and the participation rules relating to implementation in tomorrow’s sitting. That way, the objective shared by all the institutions, the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council, to have the Framework Programme start right at the beginning of next year can become a reality. This is also what Europe’s scientific community is expecting of us."@en1
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