° Dutch Presidency takes office:

The Dutch Presidency has underlined the importance of 2004 for the EU – on 1st May 10 new Member States joined the Union.  In June agreement was reached on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for the EU.  In the second week of June citizens of all 25 Member States elected a new Parliament a new 25-member European Commission will take office in November for a 5-year term.  The Dutch Presidency wishes to ensure that EU objectives remain realistic and match public expectations.  It plans an open in-depth debate on shared values and implications of further European integration and co-operation.

Enlargement talks will continue with Romania and Bulgaria: a progress report will appear in October. In December the European Council will determine whether Turkey meets the Copenhagen political criteria – the Netherlands is currently surveying the position of the Member States.  As Croatia was granted candidate status at the June European Council, work should begin on examining the acquis communautaire (the body of EU legislation and regulations) in order to prepare for negotiations.

The Netherlands intends to support measures to speed up and stabilise the gradual recovery of the European economy.  A High-Level Working Group report in October 2004 should influence the Mid-Term Review of the Lisbon Process.  The Presidency believes that effective implementation of existing agreements is more important than new ones.  The Netherlands plans to devote a lot of attention to simplifying legislation and reducing the administrative burden.

Particular issues will include Financial Services Action Plan, new Regulations on Chemicals, eco-efficient innovation and sustainable mobility.  Other issues to be covered include knowledge, innovation and education, corporate social responsibility, future ICT and telecommunications developments and security of energy supply.

The EU’s multi-year budgetary framework comes to a close at end of 2006.  The debate on the 2007-2013 budgetary negotiations must be planned and organised now to achieve results in Spring 2006 before the beginning of the 2007 budgetary cycle.

Environment priorities: Clean technologies are vital to fully exploit synergies between private sector and environment. The presidency intends to boost the importance and the prospects of the environment as the third pillar of the Lisbon strategy. Despite the deadlock that has developed as a result of Russia’s reluctance to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, the Netherlands will endeavour to make progress in the field of international climate policy: it is examining the possibility of adopting a feasible, forward-looking decision at the Tenth Conference of Parties to the Climate Convention in Buenos Aires on 6^th-17^th December 2004.To further the quest for quieter, cleaner, more economical cars, the Dutch presidency will put sustainable mobility on the EU agenda. This will include encouraging the use of carbon filters to counter fine particle emissions, tightening CO₂ emission requirements and tackling noise pollution at its source. Among the current legislative dossiers, the Dutch presidency will at any rate focus on mining waste, fluorinated gasses and the Aarhus package. With regard to the latter, the aim is to adopt the legislation necessary to permit the Community to be a party at the second meeting of the parties to the Aarhus Convention in May 2005. In addition, the presidency will devote attention to the urban environment strategy and mercury strategy.

Water: Safety forms the cornerstone of international water policy. At the informal Environment Council in July, the Dutch presidency will draw attention to a European flood protection initiative, based on a separate approach for each river basin. In November, a stakeholders meeting will take place to prepare a European marine strategy, which will focus on the quality of the marine environment.

Spatial planning and urban development:The Dutch presidency will focus on incorporating territorial elements into sectoral and structural policy and the potential contribution of spatial policy to the achievement of the Lisbon and Göteberg objectives. Although spatial planning is not actually an EU policy area, it is strongly influenced by various EU policy fields. The presidency will launch a policy process to place strategic cooperation in the field of spatial planning on the EU agenda. The influence of EU policy areas on spatial planning will be examined on the basis of insights acquired through the European Spatial Planning Observatory Network (ESPON), with an emphasis on sustainability.

With regard to urban policy, the focus will be on the role of cities as engines of social and economic development at regional, national and European level. A connection will be made between the potential of cities and the significant social problems that exist there. The aim is to strengthen the position of cities, for example through cooperation and the exchange of knowledge and experience between cities, member states and the European Union. A common framework is being developed and priorities and a timeframe for cooperation are being defined.

Transport: With the slogan ‘trendsetting in transport’, the Dutch presidency will focus on a common approach to international transport and water policy in the enlarged Union. The informal Transport Council will devote special attention to developments in the aviation sector and short sea shipping. The former is witnessing both mergers and the emergence of small new companies.

With regard to short sea shipping, the main priorities are to reduce the administrative burden and improve quality. The use of innovative technologies such as River Information Services, an electronic communications system, is also important to encourage short-sea shipping. Innovation will take centre stage at an informal ministerial meeting on infrastructural innovation and during the ‘Energy in Motion’ conference on sustainable mobility. Improving road safety in Europe is also of crucial importance. Harmonisation at European level of the rules on driving licences can contribute to this.

Research in the Dutch Presidency: CORDIS, the Community Research and Development Information Service, has launched a new online service covering the research and innovation activities led by the Dutch Presidency of the European Union (1 July - 31 December 2004). http://www.cordis.lu/netherlands  

Research priorities: The Commission’s CORDIS news has interviewed Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs, Jan Laurens Brinkhorst and Maria van der Hoeven the Minister of Education, Culture and Science.  The former defined the current situation, stating 'The problem in Europe is that we have a structural crisis but no sense of urgency,',  The ministers explained that research priorities for the sixth month Presidency are: the promotion of fundamental research with the possible creation of a European Research Council (ERC), the improvement of the human capital base, the enhancement of European cooperation in the field of research infrastructures, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and European technology platforms. Fundamental research is considered as necessary for the European research landscape as applied research, and the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) must ensure that both ends of the scale get the attention they need.  'Fundamental research is important in itself, but it's also important for industry and innovation. Therefore, it is not a question of choosing between applied or basic research. We need to finance both.' http://www.cordis.lu/netherlands/home.html

Information point for the Dutch Presidency:  http://www.eu2004.nl/

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

° High-level expert panel  presents mid-term evaluation of the new instruments introduced for the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6),  Findings were presented to the informal Competitiveness Council on 3rd July. The scientific community had high expectations of FP6, and in particular the new instruments - such expectations have been only partially fulfilled. The 12 recommendations drafted by Dr Marimon's panel cover a wide range of issues, including clarification of the instruments' goals, increased flexibility for participants, critical mass, the difference between Integrated Projects and STREPs (specific targeted research projects), support for innovative research groups, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and project evaluation. Two of the principal concerns of those who participated in the study are the costs involved in submitting a proposal, and perceptions regarding how large a project consortium need be. http://www.cordis.lu/fp6/instruments_rev iew 

° Three debates expected on the future of European research policy:  1. with the European ministries of finance, who must decide on the EU's Financial Perspectives for 2007- 2013.  The Commission hopes its proposal to double the research budget to around 30 billion euro will be endorsed. The Commission proposes two new initiatives: 'European technological initiatives' and a European Research Council.  This would require funding from the budget for the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). Funding from the European Investment Bank, the European Investment Fund and the Structural Funds is also a possibility, but Commission money set aside for research funding will still have to stretch further than before. Further debates will take place with - 2. the Ministries of Science and 3. the scientific community - to convince them of the ideas in the Commission Communication.

Share of the total budget that is available for collaborative research, on which the Commission's framework programmes have traditionally focused, will be reduced. Early next year, the Commission will publish its detailed proposals for FP7, and the debate on which research fields should receive EU funding will recommence.

° Consultancy report points to Indian R&D as a growing competitor for Europe: The recently published report has identified India as an emerging hub for collaborative and outsourced research and development (R&D) in drug development, biotechnology and chemicals. India's nascent biotechnology industry is expected to generate five billion dollars (four billion euro) in revenues and create over one million jobs in the next five years, according to Ernst & Young's 2004 'Progressions' report. Pharmaceuticals are another success story: with trained chemists, an excellent track record of innovation and US Food and Drug Administration approved manufacturing facilities, savings of between 30 and 50% are now possible in India. 20 % of all drugs coming into the US market come from India, a higher percentage than Spain, Italy, Israel and China. 

INFORMATION and COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

° Commission calls on all stakeholders involved in information society technologies (IST) research to contribute to its five-year assessment of EU IST research, and thus help shape IST research priorities under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). The expert panel seeks  views on:  the appropriate mix of instruments for IST research under FP7;  which specific research communities to involve in IST research;  measures to strengthen the European Research Area (ERA) in the field of IST;  measures to improve synergies between IST research and other information society policies; recommendations on intellectual property rights and standardisation to enhance the impact of IST research;  the governance of the future programme. The consultation will be open until 31 August Contributions will be discussed with the panel at a stakeholder consultation workshop in Brussels on 9 September. The five year assessment report will be finalised by the panel in the last quarter of 2004. http://www.europa.eu.int/information_society/programmes/evaluation/ist_rtd/5_year_assessment/index_en.htm

EDUCATION, TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION:

° The Commission proposes new Education, MEDIA, Culture and Youth programmes for 2007-2013 : Current proposals will finish in 2006. The budget for the new programme will be Euro 13,6000 million. There will be four sectoral programmes dealing with 1.) school education (Comenius),  2.) higher education (Erasmus), 3.) vocational training (Leonardo Da Vinci) and 4). adult education (Grundtvig).  Objectives are: at least 1 pupil in 20 in the EU to take part in Comenius; to reach the target of 3 million Erasmus students from the date of establishing the programme and 2011; 150,000 placements in companies each year under Leonardo Da Vinci in 2013; 25,000 adults each year benefiting from training/mobility under Grundtvig in 2013.  The “Youth in action” programme, which is to deal with 13-30 year olds, has a  Euro 915 million budget. “MEDIA 2007” has a budget of over 1,000 million Euro for 2007-2013 and the ‘Culture 2007’ programme budget will be slightly above Euro 400 million. http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/education_culture/newprog/index_en.html

ENVIRONMENT:

° The finalised Text of LIFE Regulation (Concerning the Financial Instrument for the Environment has now been published.  LIFE is the Commission’s financial instrument for funding projects in favour of protection of the environment.  Full text of Document 3672/04

° The New Directive on Strategic Environmental Assessment will be reviewed in the August 2004 Brussels Brief.

° Consultation on the Extended Impact Assessment on the Thematic Strategy on the Prevention and recycling of waste - Comments to Commission by 24 September 2004 The consultation on Communication COM(2003)301 towards a thematic strategy on the prevention and recycling of waste was completed on 30th November 2003.   Commission services are now drafting the Extended Impact Assessment for the final Thematic Strategy.  A 2nd phase stakeholder consultation on the Extended Impact Assessment is now underway. Stakeholders are invited to communicate in writing data and information on the potential environmental, economic, and social implications of a number of options to be submitted.  Waste specific background information: The 6th Environment Action Programme decision calls for adoption of further waste prevention and recycling measures.  The impact of policy options can vary depending on context and combinations of measures.  The Commission has prepared some  potential scenarios for the overall EU waste policy direction . If you wish to provide information on a combination of policy options, there is a box at the end of the questionnaire for that purpose. Please refer to Commission Communication COM (2003)301 towards the Thematic Strategy on the prevention and recycling of waste for more information on the context around the options that are being considered. This Communication also includes more details on commonly used terms, concepts or abbreviations that are used in the questionnaire. Comments must reach the Commission latest 24 September 2004. To send comments, fill in their consultation form and press the submit button. Information available from: Cristopher Allen/Paul Speight, Environment Directorate-General/Unit G4, European Commission e-mail: env-waste.strategy@cec.eu.int      http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/wa ste/consultation.htm

(The context of the process is explained in: http://europa.eu.int/comm/governance/sui vi_lb_en.htm)

° Environmental cases: please see Annexe to this Brief following the list of conferences

See also: http://europa.eu.int/comm/secretariat_general/sgb/droit_com/index_en.htm#infractions

ENERGY:  

° Progress report on the Opening of the Internal Energy Market: Full text Energy and Transport DG

TRANSPORT:

° Funding for the trans-European energy and transport networks from 2007 – 2013: The Commission has proposed over Euro 22 billion funding over seven years for the trans-European transport and energy networks, the Galileo programme and the Marco Polo programme for non-road freight transport modes.  It is considered that the large budget increases will make it possible to co-finance the work on 30 TEN priority projects (costing a total of €225 billion). The Marco Polo programme, which has a budget of €740 million for 2007-2013, has been extended to countries bordering the EU. http://europa.eu.int/comm/ten/transport/revision/revision_1692_96_en.htm

° Commission report highlights increase in Short Sea Shipping over past five years: Short Sea Shipping and road both grew by 25 % in terms of freight transport in the period 1995-2002. Short Sea Shipping performs around 40 % of all tonne-kilometres in Europe: the share of road transport is 45 %.  A variety of measures prioritising shipping includes the ‘Motorways of the Sea’ initiative – part of the trans-European transport network and the Marco Polo programme whose target is to shift 12 billion tonne-kilometres of freight off the road each year.  Short Sea Promotion Centres (business-led, neutral bodies) promote Short Sea Shipping at national level http://www.shortsea.info/front/frameset.asp 

° Transport research on the internet: A new Commission funded web service was launched on 5 July with the aim of collecting and disseminating the results of EU and national transport research programmes in Europe. In the first stages of creating a comprehensive database of transport research, the website features summaries of 226 international, European and national research programmes, as well as a more concise 'guide to national programmes and other research activities across the European Research Area.  http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/extr a/web/index.cfm?color=yellow

° Technology may pave the way to U.K. national road charging: Forecasts based on a model provided by Deloitte Consulting suggest that a well-targeted national road pricing scheme could achieve GBP 10 billion (EUR 15 billion) worth of time savings a year (at 2010 traffic levels) in Britain. In addition, the system could generate GBP 9 billion (EUR 13.5 billion) in annual revenue, but would cost about GBP 3 billion (EUR 4.5 billion) a year to run. Key to proposals for such a scheme is a technology to enable charging by time, distance and place in order to accurately target costs, including environmental costs. This might require installing a complex onboard unit in each vehicle, which would work out exactly where, when and over what distance the vehicle was used, possibly using a positioning system. On expert advice, the study estimates that equipment necessary to deliver a full position-based charging scheme will not be available in mass market, low-cost form, until at least 2014.

INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCING

° Lending from EIB (European Investment Bank)

- The EIB is lending Euro 100 million to the government of the Saarland through the intermediary of SaarLB.  It will be used to finance part of the Land government's investment programme to improve healthcare, higher education, research and development. Half the funding will be used to modernise the university hospital

- The European Investment Bank (EIB) provides a EUR 200 million loan for the construction of two motorway sections on the southwest part of the Prague outer ring and the related access roads.

- The EIB is extending a loan of EUR 55 million to the Republic of Turkey, which will on-lend the funds to the Bursa Metropolitan Municipality (BMM) for completing the city's light rail transit system in the eastern part of the city. This urban transport investment in Turkey's fourth largest city is co-financed with Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), as well as with commercial banks. http://www.eib.org/lending/med/en/index. htm

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

° Lending from EBRD, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Information on EBRD activity is to be found on: http://www.ebrd.org

° The Commission has authorised a package of aid measures for the restructuring of road haulage and the development of combined transport notified by the Italian Region of Marche. The 3-year scheme has an approximate Euro 880,000 budget.

° Italy has been judged to be in dereliction of its duty to cooperate with Commission on health and safety of workers at a waste water treatment plant in Lombardy:  European Court of Justice case  reference: C-82/03.    Full text  

° Although the European Parliament held its elections in June, members retained their status as MEPs until the Parliament formally reconvened in Strasbourg on Tuesday 20th July. Election results may be found on http://www.elections2004.eu.int.  732 MEPs sit in the new European Parliament. Their 5-year term-of-office begins officially on 20 July. Over half the MEPs are new faces. 

° The European Parliament for 2004-2009 opens with the oldest member in the chair. On this occasion this was Italian Socialist MEP Giovanni Berlinguer.  The Parliament's first job is to elect the President, who combines the role of Speaker and Parliament's representative at EU summits and other international events as well as representing the European Parliament legally, financially and administratively. The President is elected for two-and-a-half years.

° 14 Vice-Presidents were also elected. European Parliament Vice-Presidents are like Deputy Speakers, but also have other roles such as taking the lead in conciliation negotiations with the Council of Ministers.

° The main issues on Parliament's agenda were:  Election of new European Parliament President; Vote on Mr Barroso as new Commission President; Election committee chairs and vice-chairs; Irish and Dutch Prime Ministers on their EU presidencies.  Lists of committees and delegations may be found on: http://www.europarl.eu.int/committees/new_home_en.htm.

° Monitoring the geological environment Segovia, Spain, from 5 to 7 July 2004

An international conference on monitoring, simulation and remediation of the geological environment aims to attract a multi-disciplinary audience from the fields of civil engineering, forest and agricultural engineering, geography, biology, ecology and hydrology.  For further information, please consult the following web address: http://www.wessex.ac.uk/conferences/2004 /geoenvironment04/index.html

° EW ISME project - East European business opportunities workshop, Tallinn, Estonia,  16^th-17th September.

The workshop is an opportunity for innovative small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) from all European countries to find business opportunities and partners, and join a learning support network that will be introduced at the event. http://www.ewisme.ee/events/Sept16-18/Ev ent_Sept16-18 1.htm

° Conference: e-learning from research to reality Strasbourg, France, on 21st and 22^nd  September 2004 The conference aims to analyse conditions required to ensure that learners benefit from quality e-learning http://www.qual-elearning.net/cgi/index. php?wpage=resume_conference

° Developing a Secure and Sustainable Trans-European Energy Network (TEN-E) Brussels, 22nd - 23rd September 2004

The conference is endorsed by the European Energy Foundation. For further information and online registration: http://www.euconferences.com/fraenergy04.htm

° ASTP Seminar ‘Creating business out of science’, Lisbon, Portugal, 14^th-15^th October 2004

The Association of European science and technology transfer professionals' (ASTP) annual seminar will address issues such as spin outs, and partnerships with industry.  Plenary sessions will cover:
the importance of technology transfer; why  companies don’t take more advantage of university expertise and technology and the role played in negotiations between a technology transfer officer, inventor and investor. http://www.astp.net

° World Health Organization second International Housing and Health Symposium, Vilnius, Lithuania, 29^th September 29 – 1st October 2004.

The Symposium is being organised by WHO’s European Centre for Environment and Health, Bonn Office. It will explore how to provide healthy, affordable and sustainable housing for all – provision of green spaces in cities, energy efficiency, structural safety, social cohesion, waste management and problems, heating & insulation etc. Information about the symposium, submission of abstracts and registration can be found at  www.vilnius.lt/housing2004   See also : www.euro.who.int/housing

° B4E "Building for a European Future - Strategies and Alliances for Construction Innovation" , Maastricht , Netherlands, 14^th – 15^th October 2004. 

The B4E conference aims to reflect the views of all stakeholders in construction on the future development of European research in the sector.  E-CORE and ECCREDI plan to then incorporate the views of the entire construction sector in E-CORE research strategy and to present these to the European Commission, with the aim of influencing the development of the 7^th Framework Programme. The event offers an important opportunity to express a vision of the future of construction research in Europe and the challenges and opportunities of  the next decade. Papers that illustrate the way in which industry uses advanced technology, and the value of research and innovation, by reference to recent major projects, are especially welcome.  Focus should be on the following themes: 1. Smart Construction; 2. Building the Future; 3. Strategies for Innovation; 4. Strategic Alliances. www.b4e.org 

° Advantages for Real Estate and Construction Sector, Helsinki, 13^th - 16^th June 2005

The 11^th Joint CIB International symposium aims to put modern construction management and economics into a perspective of modern real estate and construction businesses and projects.  Topics of interest include the evolving sector, firms and their businesses, projects and processes, IT and construction processes, Foundations of our thinking and practice. Symposium web-site: www.ril.fi/cib2005  Tentative registration: kaisa.venalainen@ril.fi