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Luxembourg, 15 June 2000 9411/00 (Presse 210)

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President :0U-RVp0DULDQR*$*2 Minister for Science and Technology of the Portuguese Republic

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,7(06'(%$7(' OPEN DEBATE ON INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY ...... 4 FUTURE OF EUROPEAN RESEARCH - RESOLUTION...... 5 EUROPEAN SPACE STRATEGY...... 8 RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURES IN THE LIFE SCIENCES ...... 8 INTERNATIONAL S/T COOPERATION ...... 8 OTHER BUSINESS...... 9 European Marine Sciences and Technology ...... 9 Genetically Modified Organisms ...... 9

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB )RUIXUWKHULQIRUPDWLRQFDOORU 3$57,&,3$176 The Governments of the Member States and the European Commission were represented as follows:

%HOJLXP Mr Dirk VAN MECHELEN Flemish Minister for Economic Affairs, Regional Planning and Media 'HQPDUN Ms Birte WEISS Minister for Research *HUPDQ\ Ms Edelgard BULMAHN Federal Minister for Education and Research *UHHFH Mr Dimitrios DENIOZOS Secretary General at the Ministry of Research and Technology 6SDLQ Mr Ramón MARIMÓN SUÑOL State Secretary for Science and Technology Policy )UDQFH Mr Roger-Gérard SCHWARTZENBERG Minister for Research ,UHODQG Mr Noel TREACY Minister of State at the Department of Education and at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (with special responsibility for Science and Technology) ,WDO\ Mr Ortensio ZECCHINO Minister for the Universities and Scientific and Technological Research /X[HPERXUJ Ms Erna HENNICOT-SCHOEPGES Minister for Culture, Higher Education and Research, Minister for Public Works 1HWKHUODQGV Ms Annemarie JORRITSMA-LEBBINK Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Economic Affairs Mr Loek HERMANS Minister for Education, Cultural Affairs and Science $XVWULD Ms Judith GEBETSROITHNER Deputy Permanent Representative 3RUWXJDO Mr José Mariano GAGO Minister for Science and Technology )LQODQG Mr Jan STORE Deputy Permanent Representative 6ZHGHQ Mr Thomas ÔSTROS Minister for Education 8QLWHG.LQJGRP Mr Bill STOW Deputy Permanent Representative

&RPPLVVLRQ Mr Philippe BUSQUIN Member 23(1'(%$7(21,1)250$7,21$1'.12:/('*(62&,(7<

The Council had an open debate on the information and knowledge society. This debate was transmitted to the public at large by a video link. The debate was held in the light of two Communications by the Commission, « Towards a European Research Area » and « E-Europe-an information society for all », as well as the Conclusions of the special European Council in Lisbon last March and the enlarged Ministerial meeting held in Lisbon on 10/11 April on the Knowledge and Information Society.

In order to structure the debate, the Presidency had prepared a questionnaire for the Ministers to discuss which focused on :

- the targets set by the Commission in its HEurope communication in the field of RTD, and in particular on

= the role of information and communication technologies for the realisation of the European Research Area, = the priorities for action in the short to medium-term in order to achieve the objectives set out in the two Commission communications, = the interrelation between national and Community efforts in this area

- the ways in which the HEurope and ERA initiatives could best be exploited to ensure effective networking of European researchers;

- the creation, by the end of 2001, of a high-speed transeuropean network linking research institutions, universities, libraries, scientific centres and, progressively, schools;

- to what extent electronic networks can be used to achieve the goals of making science more attractive to young people, bridging the “skills gap” and creating an information and knowledge society for all, thus preventing exclusion;

- the Commission's proposed HEurope action plan aimed at ensuring the achievement of the targets set by the Lisbon Summit by defining the actions and measures to be taken.

The President summed up the debate by noting that

- all delegations agreed that the relationship between the European science and technology policy and the development of the knowledge and information society was of vital importance and a closer link between the two would have to be established;

- there was a clear need to avoid possible social and economic exclusion resulting from the unequal access by European citizens to electronic information systems; the role of education and training was highlighted in this context;

- access to scientific information by all the relevant research institutions needed detailed analysis relating to, for example, the management and diffusion of information, public and private partnerships and new communication networks. The Commission, together with the Member States, were considered to have an essential role in this work;

- all Ministers agreed that it was essential to speed up the creation of a high-speed information back bone with common standards for all Member States. )8785(2)(8523($15(6($5&+5(62/87,21

The Council proceeded to an in-depth debate on the European Research Area (ERA). This debate was held in the light of the conclusions of the Lisbon European Council of 23/24 March 2000, the Commission Communication on ERA as well as of a Commission document entitled "First steps towards a European Research Area". The Ministers warmly welcomed the Commission's initiatives in this respect and the plans which were outlined by Commissioner BUSQUIN on how the Commission intends to bring the work forward, with particular regard to the preliminary work on the 6th RTD Framework Programme.

Following the debate, the Council adopted the following Resolution:

"The Council of the European Union,

EMPHASISES the significant role played by research and development in generating economic growth, employment and social cohesion,

RECALLS the objectives set out in the Commission’s communication “Towards a European Research Area” and the implementation measures outlined in “First Steps Towards a European Research Area”,

TAKING ACCOUNT OF the contributions to the debate resulting from the Research Ministerial meeting “European Science beyond 2000”, held in Lisbon on the 6th – 7th March 2000, with the presence of eminent European scientists and the heads of major European research organisations, the discussions held at the Ministerial conference on the Knowledge and Information Society held in Lisbon on the 10th – 11th April 2000, and the discussions at the Ministerial conference on “Knowledge and Innovation for the Competitiveness of Europe” held at Noordwijk on 10 March 2000,

NOTING the resolution of the European Parliament of 18 May 2000, the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee of 25 May 2000, and the opinion of the Committee of the Regions of 12-13 April 2000,

RECOGNISES the importance of a rapid implementation of the Presidency Conclusions of the Lisbon European Council of the 23rd – 24th March 2000,

To carry forward these Conclusions, the Council:

1. ENCOURAGES the networking of national and joint research programmes on a voluntary basis, around freely chosen objectives, in order to take greater advantage of the concerted resources devoted to research and technological development in the Member States. To this end:

a) Member States will cooperate, in association with the Commission, in devising a simple means for improved information exchange, wherever possible using existing mechanisms, on research activities of strategic importance on the European level.

b) Member States will bring forward work already underway with a view to developing mechanisms for opening progressively their national research programmes, including where appropriate the participation of non-national experts in evaluation panels. The Council INVITES the Commission to seek information and advice from all relevant national and European research actors and to report to Council on this matter by June 2001.

2. WELCOMES the initial work undertaken by the Commission with a view to developing an open method of coordination for benchmarking national research policies in relation to the following themes for benchmarking indicators aiming to assess the development of European research policies in relation to the development of research in the rest of the world:

a) Human resources in RTD, including attractiveness of science and technology professions

b) Public and private investment in RTD

c) Scientific and technological productivity

d) Impact of RTD on economic competitiveness and employment.

The following areas could also be taken into consideration: promotion of RTD culture and public understanding of science, and overall convergence and balances in RTD within the European Union.

CALLS on the Commission, in collaboration with the Member States, to complete its work by presenting a full set of indicators and a methodology for benchmarking by October 2000.

3. NOTES the Commission's intention to establish an independent advisory body for research policy in order to strengthen the links between the research community, including industrial research organisations, national and European RTD organisations and to reinforce the effectiveness of European RTD policies, and to keep the Council regularly informed, in particular on the role and constitution of this body.

4. INVITES the Commission, in close cooperation with the Member States and in the context of the HEurope action plan, and building on the progress already achieved in the Geant programme in creating a 2.5 gigabit/s network by the end of 2001, to present costed initiatives for setting up a very high-speed transeuropean research network, progressively attaining speeds of the order of 100 gigabits/s, with the support of the European Investment Bank.

5. INVITES the Member States and the Commission to cooperate in order to identify and take action in view of removing present obstacles to the mobility of researchers to facilitate the creation of a genuine European scientific community. To this end, the Council welcomes the Commission's intention to establish a working group of national experts in order to help prepare an analysis and first initiatives by June 2001.

6. INVITES the Commission to enhance the synergy and multilateral co-operation offered by existing mechanisms such as COST and EUREKA; ASKS the Commission to examine the management and funding of COST in order to respond to the developing needs and activities of this organisation. 7. INVITES the Commission, in close cooperation with the Member States and taking into account national research plans and policies, to present to the Council, before the end of 2000, objectives and a methodology, including indicators and peer review, with a view to mapping excellence in all Member States by the end of 2001.

8. INVITES the Commission and the Member States to take the necessary steps, in particular working closely with the European Investment Bank, to support the development of a globally competitive economy based upon a thriving SME and start-up sector through the exchange of best practices on technology transfer and innovation measures in respect of, inter alia, venture capital funds, incubators, promotion of high-tech start-ups, etc.

The Council invites the Commission to report on this matter by the end of 2000.

9. WELCOMES the Commission’s intention to bring forward proposals with a view to making available a Community patent by the end of 2001, as foreseen by the Lisbon Summit of March 2000.

10. INVITES Member States and the Commission:

• To take the necessary steps towards increasing the participation of women in science by accelerating the implementation of the action plan “Women in Science”.

• To increase the attractiveness of science to young people and encourage their participation in RTD activities.

• To promote closer co-operation between research institutions, schools and science centres at European level, to reinforce the scientific culture of European citizens and to increase the attractiveness of scientific and technological professions, by pursuing initiatives in setting up a framework for exchanges and joint action and by bringing the national and European “Science Weeks” closer together.

• To involve from the outset the candidate countries, the EEA states and the associated countries in the European area of research and innovation, and also to take the appropriate action to make it attractive to other non-Member States.

11. WELCOMES the Commission’s intention to develop, in the Guidelines document to be available in early autumn 2000, the possible contribution and preparation of future research actions of the Union (including the Framework Programmes) to the European Research Area, to allow Member States, the European Parliament and the Council to debate the subject during the second half of 2000.

12. WELCOMES also the Commission’s intention to present further contributions on other themes identified in its Communication on the European Research Area such as:

ΠScientific reference for policy decisions ΠInfrastructure for research ΠThe regional dimension of research policy in Europe ΠOpening the European Research Area to the rest of the world ΠThe social and ethical aspects of research in Europe ΠThe mobility of researchers

13. CONSIDERS it necessary to review regularly European Science and Technology policies and assess progress made towards achieving a European Research Area. To this end, INVITES the Commission to present, after wide consultation, to the European Parliament and to the Council a regular report on the state of RTD in Europe to be forwarded annually to the Spring European Council as its contribution to the overall review of the progress achieved." (8523($163$&(675$7(*<

Commissioner BUSQUIN reported on the progress made in the framework of the co-operation between the Community and the European Space Agency with a view to defining a coherent space strategy. The Council took note of the work being undertaken in this area as well as of the Commission's intention to submit to the Council, for consideration at its next session, a Communication on a European Strategy for space on the basis of a joint ESA-Commission document.

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The Council was informed by the Presidency of problems facing certain research infrastructures in the life sciences field. In the course of the ensuing debate, attention was drawn to the fast development of life sciences and the important role of genomics and bioinformatics for the understanding of life systems and the contribution to human welfare, through the applications of scientific progress to medicine and the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries, as well as to the central role that large infrastructural facilities play in the scientific and technological progress in this area.

In the light of discussions, the Presidency concluded by: underlining the importance of genomic research infrastructures which generate European added value in research and are dedicated structures to serve research at large in the European Union; emphasising the desirability of improving the European-wide consistency and complementarity of these infrastructures and their competitiveness at world level; noting that the financial difficulties currently being faced by these infrastructures illustrate how important it is, in the framework of the European Research Area, that the Member States and the Commission, possibly involving the European Investment Bank, seek jointly to develop a long-term strategy for co-ordinating support for key research infrastructures at the European level; and invited the Commission in the short term to explore possible solutions to the current problems, consistent with the decisions taken on the Fifth Framework Programme and on the "Quality of Life" Specific Programme, so as to enable the Council to re-examine this question in greater depth at its next meeting.

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The Council heard a presentation by Commissioner BUSQUIN of recent progress in international S/T cooperation and, in particular, of the Commission working paper "Synergy between the 5th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development and MEDA". This presentation was completed by the President's information on recent meetings which had taken place under the Portuguese Presidency.

Dans ce contexte, le Conseil a

- accueilli favorablement le document de la Commission sur les synergies entre le 5ème Programme cadre de RDT et le Programme MEDA;

- encouragé la Commission, dans la perspective de la construction de l'Espace européen de recherche et avec le support de tous les instruments financiers communautaires disponibles, à poursuivre la réalisation d'activités conjointes UE/pays partenaires méditerranéens de RDT. Il l'a encouragé également à soutenir les activités de diffusion, valorisation et transfert des connaissances scientifiques et de l'innovation technologique des projets de RDT, notamment par le biais d'actions dans le cadre du Programme MEDA tout en accordant une priorité à la coopération régionale prévue dans le règlement financier MEDA. 27+(5%86,1(66

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The Council was informed by the Presidency of a report by a working group established by the 15 Member States, the EFTA countries and the Commission entitled "Towards a New Marine Dimension for Europe through Research and Technological Development".

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The German delegation informed the Council of its concerns in relation to the release of genetically modified organisms (GMO) as an example of framework conditions for R&D within ERA.

This delegation presented an initiative for the creation of a centralised European authorisation procedure for GMOs, and invited the Commission to take appropriate measures to present a proposal to this effect.