BRUSSELS BRIEF

This brief is intended to provide a monthly up-date on matters within the European Institutions. More detailed reports of meetings with European Commission and Parliament are provided to ECCE member organisations with Working Papers and Minutes of Meeting.

ECCE BRUSSELS BRIEF: EU policies and actions on Research and development; Education; Environment, Energy; Information Technology; General Interest; Project Financing; News from the European Parliament SPECIAL 5 page ENVIRONMENT SUPPLEMENT to mark European Commission “Green Week”

° News and background information on the Greek EU Presidency is to be found on www.eu2003.gr

° A definitive Guide to the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) is now available in a ‘light’ version (using same text but less colour) - available in English French German (Page link)

° A CORDIS glossary of current R&D terminology also provides potential FP6 participants with reading guidance documents and detailed information on provisions for implementing tools, such as the recently published integrated projects, networks of excellence and specific targeted research project leaflets - all available in the FP6 library section http://fp6.cordis.lu/fp6/glossary.cfm

° Environmental research: The outcome of an expert conference “Towards Joint EU Action on Environmental Technologies” held in Vienna on 26-27th May are to be found on the web-site http://www.umweltmanagement.at/envtech

° Political level agreements: In June the Council of Ministers adopted a number of Decisions science and technology co-operation, An Agreement with Russia was renewed for a further 5-year period, the Commission has been authorised to negotiate an Agreement with Japan. Final texts have been agreed for co-operation with Tunisia and Morocco respectively. http://ue.eu.int

° ‘Civil Society’ and the European Research Area (ERA): the role of the European public in the European Research Area was discussed at a June conference in Brussels. 6FP has allocated Euro 80 million over a four-year period for science and society activities. An important topic for discussion was the role of young people in science; it is estimated that 500,000 more researchers are needed to meet the EU’s target of 3% of GDP in research and development. Further information: http://www.cordis.lu/science-society

° New head for EUREKA Secretariat French industrialist Michel Vieillefosse, an engineer by training, will begin a three-year term as head of the EUREKA Secretariat on 1 July. Mr Vieillefosse’s proposed strategic plan supports the Commission's proposal of setting up joint thematic groups to achieve closer collaboration. The second activity is looking at methods to increase private financial participation in innovation activities and to look carefully at what the US has done in terms of public/private partnership and adapt it to the European approach. http://www.eureka.be

° Commission invites comments on draft model contracts: Initial draft model contracts for the new instruments of the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) have been drawn up by the model contract working group. The final model contract document will be influenced by responses to these drafts. Publication of the group's working documents is intended to foster discussion and comment. Working documents, may be accessed on: http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/fp6/working-groups/model-contract/index_en.ht ml

° Report on guidelines to further implement a European Research and Innovation Area (ERIA) marks close of Greek Presidency: 'The European Research and Innovation Area, The way forward - A contribution of the Greek Presidency for further thought' The first issue is the need to develop links between national research programmes. Report recommendations also include increasing the financial basis for research infrastructures through support by both public and private sectors within specific schemes of the Framework Programmes, and enhancing training opportunities within the structures, particularly for young scientists. Report contents: ftp://ftp.cordis.lu/pub/greece/docs/eria_gsrt_2003_en.pdf

° Education in Europe 2000-2001 - Eurostat report highlights innovation prospects. One of the structural indicators of innovation and research monitored as part of the Lisbon process is the proportion of graduates in mathematics, science and technology among 20-29 year olds in the population. This indicator was highest in Ireland (23.2 graduates per 1,000 population); France (19.7%), UK (19.5%) and Finland (16%). Four other Member States had over 10% - Belgium, Denmark, Spain and Sweden. In the Accession Countries only Lithuania (13%) topped the 10% marker.

Overall in EU Member States between 55-95% of 18-year olds were still in education. The highest proportion was in Sweden (95%), Finland (89%), Belgium (85%). The lowest proportion was in the UK (55%) and also Portugal (66%). In Accession Countries this ranged from 32% in Cyprus, where most tertiary students study abroad, to 86% in the Czech Republic.

° Review points to inadequate Implementation of Environmental Impact Assessment Directive: The recently published European Commission report shows inadequate implementation of this environment Directive. Further details appear in the Environment Supplement to this Brussels Brief. The full text of the report is available at: http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/eia/home.htm whilst the Annual Surveys may be found at: http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/law/index.htm

° Publication of text of Directive 2003/35 on public participation in environmental planning: on 25th June Directive 2003/35/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 May 2003 providing for public participation in respect of the drawing up of certain plans and programmes relating to the environment and amending with regard to public participation and access to justice Council Directives 85/337/EEC and 96/61/EC (OJ L156/17 25.6.2003) was published. Member State Implementation of laws, regulations and administrative provisions required for compliance with the Directive will have to be in place by 25 June 2005 at the latest. The full text can be accessed throughout July from the ‘eur-lex’ part of http://europa.eu.int

° Recent scientific report shows that combined impact of human activities poses biggest threat yet to the European marine environment, Carried out on behalf of the European Commission by the international council for the exploration of the sea (ICES), the report is the first to date that has presented an environmental picture of all the continent's seas: It covers the Baltic, North, Irish, Black and Mediterranean seas, as well as areas of the North East Atlantic. http://www.bmu.de/english/download/water /files/ices_report.pdf

° Ministers meet on marine environment issues: On 26th June, European Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström participated in the joint Ministerial Meeting of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) and Oslo and Paris Comission (OSPAR), on the protection of the Baltic Sea and the North East Atlantic. Ministers sought to agree on important actions for protection of the marine environment, and discussed the contribution of HELCOM and OSPAR to the development of the EU marine strategy.

° The Environmental Council on 13th June took note of information from Austria on the April workshop “Sustainable Development in an Enlarged Union: Linking national strategies and strengthening European coherence”. Information on http://www.nachhaltigkeit.at Further details on this issue are on Doc. 10101/03 on the Council web site: http://ue.eu.int/en/summ.htm

° Commission bombarded with environmental complaints: the European Commission has received so many complaints from Spain and Italy that it is placing its acknowledgements on the internet site for a 45-day period and publishing them in the Official Journal. The complaint from Spain relates to a construction project - the port of Granadilla, Tenerife in the Canary Islands. (Complaint No. 2002/5081, acknowledged in OJ C131/6 5.6.2003). The Italian complaint relates to information given to the public on ambient concentrations of ozone and particulate matter in Cittavecchia (Rome). (Complaint no 2003/4497, acknowledged in OJ C131/6 5.6.2003). Both acknowledgements may currently be viewed on: http://europa.eu.int/comm/secretariat_general/sg1/receipt/

Meanwhile, the Advocate General at the European Court of Justice found against the Commission, stating that it did not allow Spain a reasonable period in which to comply with the judgement of the Court on the quality of bathing waters.

Other environmental cases: Spain had to pay costs for failure to fulfil obligations under the waste directive 75/442/EEC; France had to pay costs for pollution of the aquatic environment with dangerous substances (breach of Art. 7 of Directive 76/464/EEC). France has been ordered to pay costs for failing to fully implement Council Directive 90/313/EEC of 7 June 1990 on the freedom of access to information on the environment. Ireland has been order to pay costs for failing to designate zones vulnerable to water pollution from nitrates from agricultural use (non-compliance with Council Directive 91/676/EEC of 12 December 1991.

° Parliament adopted a legislative resolution on guidelines for trans-European energy networks. It adopted an amendment relating to financial aid for the construction phase of the projects, stating that EU funding should remain ‘exceptional’ and requires special justification. Where projects receive increased financial support of up to 20%, MEPs believe European economy and public interest must be proven and projects should not result in distortion of competition. (Report references outlined in EP section below)

° Best practice in renewable energy for municipalities: A project supported by the European Commission and run by the Energie-Cites network has produced a CD-ROM containing 100 examples of good practice under-taken by towns and cities across Europe. http://www.digital-eu.org/publications/Default.asp?pubid=32

° EU and international partners join forces on research to 'clean up' fossil fuel: On behalf of the European Commission, Loyola de Palacio, Vice President in charge of Energy and Transport, signed an international charter on CO2 capture and storage (CO2/carbon sequestration). This will create the "Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum" with Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Italy, India, Japan, Mexico, Norway, the People's Republic of China, Russia, the United Kingdom and the US. The Forum aims to stimulate research into carbon sequestration technologies, to "clean up" fossil fuels by capturing CO2 at source and storing it for thousands of years deep underground. This will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The EU committed itself in the Kyoto Protocol to reducing its Green House Gases (GHG) emissions by 8% in the 2008-2012 period compared to 1990 levels. Much deeper cuts in emissions (by more than 50% globally over the next 50 years) will be necessary to stabilize GHG concentrations in the atmosphere at acceptable levels. CO2 sequestration could help to meet this goal by capturing CO2 at source and storing it in geological formations. Other options to limit CO2 emissions, in the energy and transport sectors, include reducing energy consumption, increasing energy efficiency, using low-carbon fuels, and increasing the use of energy sources with low to zero CO2 emissions, such as renewables. In addition, it is necessary to enhance the carbon sink capacity of the biosphere (e.g. forests). http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/energy/nn/nn_rt_co1_en.html

° UK publishes draft Nuclear Sites and Radioactive Substances Bill: The draft Bill provides for the establishment of a dedicated public body responsible for the clean up programme - the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and is seen as a major step forward in the UK nuclear clean up programme. Copies of the draft Nuclear Sites and Radioactive Substances Bill are available from The Stationery Office: www.tso.co.uk or on the DTI website: www.dti.gov.uk/nuclearcleanup.

° A European Commission funded report “Virtual dematerialisation - e-business and factor X” I part of Digital Europe has suggested a number of ways in which society can reap the benefits of e-commerce without increasing energy and materials consumption in the process. In relation to corporate responsibility, the report notes that developing cross-sectoral co-operation and information strategies could help the e-business sector and its partners better understand the environmental impact of their services and products. http://www.digital-eu.org/publications/Default.asp?pubid=32

° European Social and Economic Committee issues its eEurope 2002 final report: The ESC believes the the eEurope Action Plan has largely achieved its objectives, but foresees difficulties in coverin the ground and gaps that have opened up as a result of Europe’s tardy response to the new technological challenges. (Doc. Ref: COM(2003)66 final) Full text in MS Word file on http://www.ces.eu.int

° ITU publishes ‘top 15’ economies by broadband penetration 2002: Six EU countries (Denmark, Belgiu, Sweden, Austria, Netherlands and Finland) appeared in the top 15 report published by the International Telecommunication Union. Top was Korea with 10.1 million broadband subscribers i.e. 94% of all subscribers and 15th was Finland with 274,000 broadband subscribers, being 5% of all subscribers. The USA came 11th - despite the largest number of broadband subscribers (18.7 million) this is only 18% of all subscribers in America. Information: http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/at_glance?top15_broad.html

° New Road Safety campaign targets children: A new campaign was launched by the Red Cross in partnership with the European Commission aimed at primary school age children (7-11 years). The Campaign also includes first aid education in schools and local communities. http://www.1-life.info

° A Community database on road accidents resulting in death or injury is to be found at: http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/home/care/vargraph/index_en.htm and aims to help identify and quantify road safety problems throughout European roads, evaluate the efficiency of road safety measures and determine the relevance of Community actions and help in the exchange of experience.

At European Policy level, the White Paper “European Transport Policy for 2010: time to decide” sets out support for such actions: http://europa.eu.int/comm/energy_transport/en/lb_en.html The Council of Ministers adopted conclusions to support these measures on 5-6 June, setting our three main fields of action: (1) encourage better user behaviour (respect of legislation, initial and continued driver training etc) (2) make vehicles safer and consider “eSafety” with a new Communication on ICT for intelligent vehicles to be published shortly (3) improve road infrastructure, in particular by identifying and disseminating best practice at local level and by elimination of black spots. The Commission has also proposed adhesion to a European Charter for Road Safety for authorities at all levels to publicly commit to carrying out specific actions; this will be discussed in the second half of 2003.

° ERTRAC (new European road transport research advisory council meets for the first time in Brussels): ERTRAC's principle task will be to outline a strategic vision for the road transport sector with regard to R&D, and to design strategies and roadmaps to achieve this vision. The council is also expected to stimulate R&D in road transport by encouraging public and private investment; to enhance collaboration between all actors in line with the principles of the European Research Area (ERA); to encourage clustering; and ensure that Europe is viewed as an attractive location for researchers. Working groups will focus on both vehicles and transport infrastructures.

° Annual Meeting of the European Investment Bank and approval of the “Innovation 2010 initiative” At the Annual Meeting on 3 June 2003 the Board of Governors endorsed the EIB’s operational priorities: Regional development and economic and social cohesion; implementation of the Innovation 2010 Initiative (i2i); environmental protection and improvement; preparation of accession countries for joining the EU and support for EU development and cooperation policies with partner countries.

The Bank continues to aim to grant 70% of direct loans to projects situated in assisted areas of the EU. The EIB has also sustained backing for financing of the Trans-European Networks (Euro 75 billion loans over 10 years) and intends to integrate its action into the priority measures being drafted at present by the High Level Group on TENs.

The “Innovation 2010 Initiative” to support research and innovation proposes a lending envelope of Euro 20 billion to end 2006 (mid-term review stage) for projects in three key areas: education and training; research and development and innovative downstream investment and information and communications technologies.

- A Euro 50 million loan is being granted for landslide protection measures in Poland. The promoter of the project is the Office for Flood Damage, Recovery, Physical works will involve land stabilisation (drainage, anchoring, erosion protection etc.) or infrastructure relocation.

- A Euro 500 million loan is being granted to the Spanish railway company ‘RENFE’ for part-financing projects to upgrade and modernise railway infrastructure in Spain. The loan forms part of the framework co-operation agreement concluded in October 2002 between the EIB, RENFE and the Spanish Minister of Public Works for improving and renewing the national rail network from 2003-2006.

Information on European Investment Bank loans is to be found on http://www.eib.org

° An EU research project Dynamics of Rural Areas (DORA). concluded that handouts to build up infrastructure, capital

or labour markets are less important than community involvement, favouring rural development at community level

° Implementation of health and safety legislation: (1) The European Commission brought a case against the

Kingdom of Spain for failure to implement law on health and safety aspects of equipment at work (Case C-168/03).

Spanish businesses were allowed a much longer transitional period that provided for in the Directive: the Kingdom of

Spain was ordered to pay costs. (2) The Court of Justice decided against the Commission regarding Portugal. It

decided that the Commission failed to show that Portugal had not implemented Directive 89/391 on health and safety

Reports of potential interest to professional civil engineers and to the construction sector:

Key at present for the construction sector are those relating to public procurement:

The 20th Czech and Slovak National Conference will look at newly built structures and bridges; production, erection, quality, needs, standards; design, theoretical and experimental research; diagnostics, maintenance, repair, rehabilitation, corrosion protection and fire design. Call for papers to 15th June 2003. Information from: http://www.fsv.cvut.cz/OK2003 e-mail: studnicka@fsv.cvut.cz

° Integrated Lifetime Engineering of Buildings and Civil Infrastructures, Kuopio, Finland, 1st to 3rd December 2003

This information briefing was prepared by Diana Maxwell, Secretary General, ECCE

Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy at time of going to press, we do not take any responsibility for errors in the information presented in this document.

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