° Transport: The Dutch Minister for Transport, Karla Peijs, is a former MEP.  She has briefed parliamentarians on the Presidency’s transport agenda.  In road transport there are still a number of unresolved dossiers – such as the Eurovignette, new rules proposed in order to pass on costs of road transporters.  The mark-up and earmarking of revenues is still an issue, but the Presidency will renew attempts to resolve this.  Member States have substantially different views on the harmonisation of weekend driving bans.  The Presidency will await the Commission’s opinion and interpretation for the ‘Altmark ruling’ in the field of legislation for public service contracts.  The Presidency hopes for successful completion of the driving licences directive which aims to improve road safety, promote free movement and also control fraud.

On 25th and 26th October the second Verona conference will on road safety will be held – covering issues such as enforcement, vehicle safety and improving the safety of the European road network.

The Commission presented a number of rail transport proposals (‘the third rail package’) earlier this year – the Dutch Presidency will work towards agreement on technical aspects, on the basis of a new compromise test. 

An informal ministerial conference will be held on 19-20 November for members of the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council on “innovation in infrastructures”.  The main theme will be ‘reliability in transport, telecommunications and energy infrastructures’.  A conference is also being organised on 19-20 October on energy and sustainable mobility ‘Energy in motion’, focusing on clean accessible cities and less reliance on fossil fuels.

Information and Communication (ICT): A new report commissioned by the Dutch EU Presidency has called for an overhaul of Europe's information and communication technologies policy, identifying ten 'breakthroughs' that could allow the EU to catch up with the world's leading ICT powers.  Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Laurens Jan Brinkhorst produced by consulting firm Pricewaterhouse- Coopers, as 'tentative and provocative'.  The report includes an analysis of several 'reference countries' whose recent performance in many areas of ICT has surpassed that of the EU - the US, Japan, India, China and South Korea. 

One breakthroughs suggested is for an improvement in the standardisation of ICT environments in Europe to trigger and enable new business. 'Pan-European interoperable solutions for electronic authentication and electronic payments are needed to boost innovation and economic growth significantly,'

A second potential breakthrough relates to what the report calls probably the most debated of all ICT related issues - the migration or 'off-shoring' of ICT jobs to low-wage countries. Such a trend cannot and should not be stopped, states the report.

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

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

° European Commission responds to high-level expert panel recommendations on the new Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) instruments: The Panel was led by Ramon Marimon.  One of the panel's main messages is welcomed: that the objectives of the new instruments (Integrated Projects and Networks of Excellence) are valid.  The Commission will take action to further classificy instru-ments according to objectives and specific characteristics.  It also pledges to take action to clear up the misconception that Integrated Projects are simply a larger version of an older instrument, the specific targeted research project, or STREP.   

The Commission has, however, entirely rejected a recommendation relating to flexibility and the selection of objectives and instruments. The Marimon report stated: 'The European Commission should specify the portfolio of instruments available and the strategic objectives. Participants on the other hand should define the specific research objectives they will pursue and why this can best be met by the instrument they have chosen.'  The Commission claims that this proposal is 'tantamount to calling into question the very principle of the work programmes on which the Union's research programmes are based.'  For more information: http://www.cordis.lu/fp6/instruments_rev iew

° CORDIS launches new Technology Platforms Service:  These Platforms are being established to meet specific policy objectives, vital for competitiveness, such as new technologies that would lead to radical change in a sector. Other goals include the reconciling different initiatives relatig to sustainable development, or the renewal of traditional industrial sectors.  The October  'Building for a European future' conference in Maastricht aims to launch a Technology Platform in the field of European construction technology  http://www.b4e.org  http://www.e-core.org

° EU Science and Technology Foresight in FP7 - Online consultation: deadline 15 November 2004: www.cordis.lu/foresight  For further information on the future of European research, please also visit http://www.cordis.lu/era/fp7.htm

° Irish, French and UK governments reflect diverse emphasis on research funding

The Irish Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (ICSTI) has urged the Irish government to adopt a longer term approach to research policies and funding, thus allowing the research community to make more durable plans. The ICSTI, run on a voluntary basis by 25 prominent figures from Irish science and responsible for advising the government on science and innovation policy, is to be disbanded this year on its own prior recommendation.  The Council was created in 1997.  http://www.forfas.ie/icsti/statements/ic sti040909/index.html 

French Research Minister François d'Aubert has announced a raft of new initiatives to boost French research and innovation, as well as an additional one billion euro to finance them. 'This is a turning point in a crucial year for our research,' said Mr d'Aubert, announcing the 2005 research budget. http://www.cordis.lu/france

The UK's Science Minister, Lord Sainsbury, has distanced the UK from the EU objective of increasing research investment to three per cent of GDP by 2010, setting the country its own target of raising spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2014. Research spending in the UK currently stands at 1.9 per cent of GDP. Increasing UK R&D from 1.9 per cent to 2.5 per cent of GDP is an ambitious target. It will not be met without significant investment from the private sector,' he said.

° The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) call for tenders for research on the development of a global technical regulation for non-road mobile machinery. Deadline for tender document requests – 6^th October 2004, submission deadline 20^th October http://ted.publications.eu.int/udl?REQUE ST=Seek-Deliver&LANGUAGE=en&DOCI D=157486-2004

INFORMATION and COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

° Estonia leads on e-government in Central Europe: A report released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) on 28/09/2004 and sponsored by Oracle states that Estonia, the Czech Republic and Slovenia have gone beyond e-government “window dressing” and compare favourably with the rest of the European Union. Coherent strategies and precise action plans, clear and centralised responsibility for implementation and the operation of modern digital transaction laws set the e-government leaders apart from the rest of the region, However, poor ICT infrastructure both at home and in the workplace remains a serious barrier to e-government progress in the region, among fast- and slow-movers alike. http://europa.eu.int/ida/en/document/3314/194  See also:  Press release by the Economist Intelligence Unit E-government in Central Europe: Rethinking public administration, white paper by the EIU;  e-Government Observatory article : eEurope 2005: EU Member States progressing at varying speeds  of 24 Sept. 2004.

° The European Commission published a call for tenders for the evaluation of progress towards a European Research Area (ERA) for information society technologies (IST) for submission in early October.  The tender was to consider the effectiveness of ‘knowledge hubs’ and whether 6FP research programmes included national and other networks.  For more information:     http://dbs.cordis.lu/cgi-bin/srchidadb?CALLER=NHP_EN_NEWS&ACTION=D&SESSION=&RCN=EN_RCN_ID:22604

° European Commission announces 20 European Information Society Technology Prize winners The IST Prize is Europe’s most distinguished award for groundbreaking IST products. It is organised by Euro-CASE (a European non-profit organisation of national Academies of Applied Sciences, Technologies and Engineering from 18 European countries) with the support and sponsorship of the IST Programme of the European Commission. 430 candidate products from 29 countries were evaluated. European IST Prize winners attract international recognition and great interest from venture capitalists. Details of Prize winners and nominees: www.ist-prize.org IST 2004 Event: http://europa.eu.int/information_society/istevent/2004/index_en.htm

EDUCATION, TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION:

° Information on e-learning event: The K2 Summit, an event bringing together technology-enhanced learning research projects and professionals from across Europe and beyond. was held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on 20 and 21 September.  Further details may be found on: http://www.know-2.org 

ENVIRONMENT:

° European Commission publishes Green Procurement Handbook: aiming to provide clear and practical guidance to local, regional and other contracting authorities in the process of dealing with the new possibilities created by the new public procurement Directives (which were formally adopted in March 2004).   A recent study examining procurement practices in the EU15 Member States shows that only 19% of all public administrations undertake a significant amount of green purchasing (by using environmental criteria in more than half of their purchases). Major barriers are the lack of knowledge to set the right environmental criteria in tender documents, budgetary constraints due to the often higher “up front” price of green products and services, and legal uncertainty.  The Handbook refers to an online database which gives environmental information on some 100 products and services http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/green_purchasing/cfm/fo/greenpurchasing/index.cfm).
It also points to valuable information on many national websites and databases and to technical specifications of European and national eco labels.  The Handbook and further information can be found at: http://europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/publicprocurement/key-docs_en.htm

° Commission launches stakeholder consultation on future climate change policy The stakeholder consultation will provide input to the Commission’s climate change report to the Spring Council 2005, which will discuss future global and EU climate change policy. The Commission report will synthesise the benefits and costs of medium and longer term strategies. All interested parties are invited to make substantive contributions through the web-based forum “Action on Climate Change post 2012.” The forum is open for submissions until 31 October 2004. The Commission also envisages holding a stakeholder conference in mid-November. More information about climate change is available at http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/climat/home_en.htm  More information about the stakeholder consultation can be found at http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/climat/future_action.htm

° LIFE Environment in 2004 – 109 projects selected with Euro 76 million funding:  LIFE Environment is part of the LIFE programme. LIFE is the EU’s financial instrument to support environmental and nature conservation projects in the EU, candidate countries and some neighbouring regions.  Funding will cover approximately 33% of the project costs. The remaining 67% will be provided by beneficiaries, partners and co-financiers. Funding topics are: Integrated product policy 29 projects (26% of projects selected). (Includes 18 EMAS - integrated environmental management audit systems - projects).  Mitigating environmental impact of economic activities - 24 (21%) (clean technologies, reduction of greenhouse gases). Integrated environmental considerations - 22 projects (19%) (urban environment, air quality and noise abatement, integrated coastal zone management, land-use development and planning and sustainable tourism).  Sustainable management of water resources - 20 projects (17%) (includes river basin management, groundwater protection, wastewater treatment, diffuse and dispersed sources of pollution). Prevention, recycling and sound management of waste 18 projects (17%) - packaging and plastics, hazardous and problematic waste, high volume waste and management of waste streams.

Details on LIFE. http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/li fe/home.htm Nature projects: http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/life/project/index.htm and more about the Natura 2000 network is to be found on: http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/nature/home.htm

° LIFE funding to countries external to the EU: The European Commission has approved funding for 20 new environment projects under the LIFE ‘Third Countries’ programme 2004. These projects will share a total EU contribution of €7,828,320. The EU co-funding will contribute to improving the environment and achieving sustainable development in the Mediterranean and Baltic regions. The 20 selected projects focus on capacity building and the establishment of administrative structures, as well as the development of environmental policies and action programmes in Albania, Algeria, Croatia, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Russia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and West Bank and Gaza.

° European Commission expresses regret over Bystroye Canal opening: concern has arisen over the reported opening to navigation of the initial part of the Bystroye canal between the River Danube and the Black Sea. The canal route goes through a specially protected UNESCO World Heritage area in the Danube Delta which is also subject to the international Ramsar Convention on the protection of wetlands. Concerns included the lack of a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment for the construction project.  The Commission had asked Ukraine to halt works pending a full assessment.

° Sunken toxic waste ship in Turkish waters: In September MEPs heard a statement from the Commission on the consequences of the recent sinking off the coast of Turkey of a ship carrying 2,200 tonnes of toxic ash originally from Spanish power coal fired power stations, destined for Algeria in 2000 but refused by authorities there. There is concern that large stretches of water could be contaminated if the cargo leaks.

° Ambitious new project to map coastlines from space: Satellite image acquisitions will be synchronised with the tides. Satellite image of rivers emptying into the Atlantic Ocean on the West African coast near Guinea Bissau Whilst accurate up-to-date marine charts are essential for safe shipping navigation, they are also increasingly used as management tools for coastal zones – e.g. harbours, fisheries, oil and gas fields, tourism sites, wildlife habitats and home to the majority of the human race. Environmental emergencies such as the Prestige oil spill in 2002 have also underlined the need to accurately chart the coastal areas as well as inland territories. Ref: European Space Agency
http://www.esa.int/export/esaCP/index.ht ml

° Global efforts for the environment: Commission and UNEP to reinforce co-operation: The European Commission and the United Nations Environment Programme have announced they will strengthen their cooperation to fight global threats to the environment more effectively. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström and Klaus Töpfer, Executive Director of UNEP.  Areas selected for immediate cooperation include: Sustainable production and consumption; Capacity building in developing countries and countries in transition to help them reach sustainable development and environment-related targets, enforce international environmental agreements and integrate environmental considerations into their trade policies; Supporting the implementation of multi-lateral environmental agreements, with an initial focus on the 1992 Convention on Biodiversity and agreements on regional seas; Providing global access to clean water and sanitation and sustainable energy. http://www.unep.org

° Eight Environmental Organisations say EU Performance on Sustainable Development is Poor:

Key findings of the review were that lack of a consistent and comprehensive approach towards sustainable development, absence of permanent co-ordination and progress monitoring and an overall strategy that has yet to prove its positive impact on the environment.  Some progress is acknowledged in agriculture and climate policy, but transport is regarded as a complete failure,'  Disappointment is expressed in several more areas: fiscal reform, fisheries, biodiversity and environmental liability, and the Review reports that there has been no evidence of a systematic approach in preventing negative impacts of EU policies on developing countries. The ‘Green 8’ are:  BirdLife International European Community Office, www.birdlife.org; Climate Action Network Europe, www.climnet.org; European Environmental Bureau, www.eeb.org; European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E), www.t-e.nu; Friends of the Earth Europe, www.foeeurope.org; Friends of Nature International, www.nfi.at; Greenpeace European Unit,  http://eu.greenpeace.org ; WWF European Policy Office, www.panda.org/epo; European Environmental Bureau Federation of Environmental Citizens Organisations See also :http://www.eeb.org/press/G8-EU-performan ce-poor-on-sustainable-development.pdf

° Economic and Social Committee Opinion on ‘The situation of nature and nature conservation in Europe’ Full text of Opinion     ESC website [European Economic and Social Committee

° Environmental cases:

Italy has failed to observe procurement procedures when awarding contracts for flood water overflow in Po Basin: judgment (C-385/02).  This is treated as a breach of Directive 93/37/EEC - Public works contracts - Negotiated procedure without prior publication of a contract notice.  The Italian Republic must pay costs. Italy failed to provide for sewage treatment in Castelliri and Rodano: two judgments (C-375/02, C-383/02).  This was in breach of Directive 75/442/CEE modified by directive 91/156/CEE - articles 4 and 8.  Italy was ordered to pay costs. Belgium: Service station is responsible for "waste" hydrocarbons that have leaked into soil: judgment Case C-1/03. Waste - Directives 75/442/EEC and 91/156/EEC - Meaning of 'waste', 'producer of waste' and 'holder of waste' - Soil infiltrated by leaked hydrocarbons - Independent operation of a service station belonging to a petroleum company (The Court ruled: Hydrocarbons which are unintentionally spilled and cause soil and groundwater contamination are waste within the meaning of Article 1(a) of Council Directive 75/442/EEC of 15 July 1975 on waste, as amended by Council Directive 91/156/EEC of 18 March 1991. The same is true for soil contaminated by hydrocarbons, even if it has not been excavated. In circumstances such as those in the main proceedings, the petroleum undertaking which supplied the service station can be considered to be the holder of that waste within the meaning of Article 1(c) of Directive 75/442 only if the leak from the service station's storage facilities which gave rise to the waste can be attributed to the conduct of that undertaking).  France failed to identify a number of areas of river and sea as sensitive to eutrophication in breach of EU law on urban waste water: judgment (C-280/02) and has been ordered to pay costs Full text of this Judgment . Italy failed to provide annual information on heavy metals: judgment (C-248/02) Italy has been ordered to pay costs in relation to breaches of Council Directive 86/278/CEE  of 12th June 1986, on the protection of the environment, and in particular of the soil, when sewage sludge is used in agriculture.  Council Directive 91/692/CEE  of 23rd December 1991, standardizing and rationalizing reports on the implementation of certain Directives relating to the environment. Case against Portugal for failure to observe habitats conservation law when building motorway - Case Filing C-239/04.  Portugal was ordered to pay costs having implemented a motorway project, whose route crosses the special protection area  of Castro Verde, notwithstanding the negative environmental impact assessment and the existence of alternative solutions for the route concerned.

A case has been brought against Greece for classifying inadequate special protection areas for wild birds - Case Filing C-334/04: (Case C-334/04) Official Journal publication of the filing

Opinions of the Advocate General : These are not linked to the Court of Justice.  The opinion of the Advocate General is not linked  to the European Court of Justice.  The Advocates General are assigned the task of proposing to the Court, on an independent basis, a legal solution to the business with which they have been entrusted.  The judges of the Court of Justice of the European Communities then begin to deliberate on the case and the judgement is given at a later date.

Spain has failed to protect wild birds: the Advocate General issued an opinion (C-79/03) regarding breaches of Directive 79/409/CE in Valencia. Spain was ordered to pay costs. 

Germany: Advocate General confirms power of authorities in country of transmission to intervene in transfer of waste for disposal: press release (C-277/02).

Ireland failed in four ways to implement EU law on waste: Advocate General (C-494/01) - Infringement of Articles 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13 & 14 of Council Directive 75/442/EEC of 15 July 1975 on waste, as amended by Council Directive 91/156/EEC of 18 March 1991 – Ireland has been ordered to pay costs.

Spain failed to carry out environmental impact assessment before building Valencia-Tarragons railway: which forms part of the project known as the 'Mediterranean corridor' (JudgmentC-227/01 Full text ): this is in breach of Directive 85/337/EEC and Spain has been ordered to pay costs.

ENERGY:  

° European Commission call for proposals 'Sustainable energy systems - research activities having an impact in the medium and longer term' under the Sixth Framework Programme's 'Sustainable development, global change and ecosystems' activity. The areas covered by this call are: fuel cells (section 6.1.3.2.1 of the work programme); new technologies for energy carriers (6.1.3.2.2); renewable energy technologies (6.1.3.2.3); capture and sequestration of CO2 (6.1.3.2.4); socio-economic tools and concepts (6.1.3.2.5). In specifying the instruments to be used in these areas, the call specifies the instruments to be used in these areas, namely Integrated Projects (IP), Networks of Excellence (NoE), specific targeted research projects (STREPs). Deadline for submitting proposal documents is 8 December 2004. http://fp6.cordis.lu/fp6/call_details.cf m?CALL_ID=167

° Proposed Council Directive laying down basic obligations and general principles on the safety of nuclear installations (Euratom) Full Text

° Information from a conference to present the major conclusions of the 'vision report' on the future of photovoltaics, held in Brussels, Belgium, on 28 September. http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/energ y/photovoltaics/introduction_en.html

Web site for Energy and Transport DG

TRANSPORT:

° EEA Report on Transport Price Signals The European Environment Agency (EEA), jointly with the Commission's Directorate-General for the Environment, Directorate-General for Transport and Energy and the Statistical Office Eurostat, developed the transport and environment reporting mechanism (TERM) to monitor progress in integrating environmental concerns into transport policy throughout Europe.  There are around 40 indicators, which form the building blocks for regularly published environmental issue reports and  also focus reports such as 'Road freight transport and the environment in mountainous areas' (EEA, 2001b). Transport Price Signals link: Full text

INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCING

Bulgaria and Romania - Financial aid for environment and transport networks http://ue.eu.int/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pr essdata/en/ecofin/82342.pdf

Simplification of external assistance instruments: The European Commission is to replace the existing range of financial instruments for the delivery of external assistance with a simpler, more efficient framework. Instead of the current wide range of geographical and thematic instruments, the new framework will comprise six instruments only, four of them new. The four new instruments are: an instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, a European Neighbourhood and Partnership instrument, a Development Cooperation and Economic Cooperation instrument, and an instrument for stability. Two existing instruments, for Humanitarian Aid, and for Macro Financial Assistance are not in need of modification, and will be maintained. Further information can be found in the “Communication from the Commission to the Council and European http://europa.eu.int/comm/world/enp/index_en.htm

° Lending from EIB 

• The EIB is lending Euro CZK 8 bn (approx. Euro 250 million) to the Czech Republic for a 23 km section of the D8 motorway, completing the Prague-Dresden link. The new sections will benefit also from a EUR 62 mil (approx. CZK 1.9 bn) grant from the EU regional funds (ISPA).

• The European Investment Bank , the European Union’s financing institution, is providing EUR 200 million to the Republic of Turkey for the first fixed rail connection of the European and Asian networks across the Bosphorus Straits. This is the first loan of a larger facility of up to EUR 650 million approved by the EIB for the tunnel.

• 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

° Electronic Procurement - Commission Consultation: How can Europe make the most of electronic public procurement? The Directives adopted in March 2004 as part of the public procurement legislative package provide a legal framework aimed at boosting the development and use of electronic procurement.  Please refer to the on-line consultation survey (in 11 languages). Other information IDA's eProcurement workshop "Paving the way for European Interoperability", 11th May 2004, Brussels

° The Text is available for a Proposed Council Directive (Euratom) laying down basic obligations and general principles on the safety of nuclear installations Full Text  Decommissioning of installations was one of the areas called into question by the Parliament.

° Spain has been ordered to pay costs by the European Court of Justice for failure to meet EU requirements on safety of work equipment under Directives 89/655/EEC and 95/63/EC: (Ref: judgment C-168/03) 

° Second quarter 2004 compared to first quarter 2004 Production in the construction sector down by 0.9% in the euro-zone STAT/04/111

Election results from June 2004 may be found on http://www.elections2004.eu.int.  732 MEPs sit in the new European Parliament. Their 5-year term-of-office began officially on 20 July.

In September the European Parliament prepared questions for hearings with the ‘Commissioners elect’  http://www.europarl.eu.int/hearings/comm ission/2004_comm/questionnaires_en.htm

MEPs returned to Brussels from 20-24 September for a full week of committee meetings. Highlights of the week included presentations from: Court of Auditors President Mr Fabra Valles to the Budgetary Control Committee; European Central Bank President Mr Trichet to Economic Committee;

Sir David Tweedie, Chairman of the IAS Board to Economic Committee on International Financial Reporting Standards;President Putin's Advisor on Russia-EU relations, Mr Yastrzhembskiy, to Foreign Affairs Committee and a meeting between Turkish Prime Minister Mr Erdogan and European Parliament political group leaders.

In September there was also first discussion of the Packaging and packaging waste directive in the Environment Committee. 

From Monday 27 September to Friday 8 October 2004, the 24 European Commissioner candidates were scheduled to appear before the relevant European Parliament committee(s). On the basis of these hearings, the European Parliament as a whole will vote on whether to approve the proposed team of Commissioners at its session in Strasbourg from 25-28 October.

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

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 

ACE-ECCE-EFCA Joint Seminar on Public Procurement Directives Thursday 21^st October

The one-day seminar being organised by the European Council of Architects, the European Council of Civil Engineers and the European Federation of Consultancy Associations aims to offer an insight into the Commission’s thinking on the topic. The seminar will clearly indicate to national administrations how architectural and engineering consultancy services should be treated in public procurement procedures. For ECCE members details are available from eccesecretariat@hotmail.com

Registration forms and the programme can be requested from any one of the three organisations through their websites : ACE www.ace-cae.org; ECCE: www.eccenet.org; EFCA  www.efcanet.org, or by e-mail to info@ace-cae.org

'Evaluations in the European Research Area'  Maastricht, the Netherlands,  27^th  October

The conference is set to discuss consequences of the European Research Area (ERA) for evaluation policies and practices, national research evaluation systems, evaluation of European research programmes, and benchmarking of European performance against the internationalisation of research.

http://www.vsnu.nl/web/show/id=42577/lan gid=43

Workshop on safer roadside infrastructure Lisbon, Portugal, on 24^th  November

An international workshop on 'design and redesign guidelines for safer roadside infrastructure' The workshop, organised as part of the EU funded project RISER (Roadside Infrastructure for Safer Roads), will address the usage of roadside improvement guidelines from a user's perspective. Researchers, engineers, road authorities and roadside equipment manufacturers are encouraged to attend. For further information: http://www.erf.be/content/article/detail /2693

Briefing on FP6 financial management, reporting & auditing, Brussels, Belgium, 2^nd December

Special reference will be made to Integrated Projects, Networks of Excellence and STREPS, main themes will be:  the principle sources of reference for the financial rules; the financial rules and the FP6 instruments; eligible costs and subcontracting; building a budget and the allocation of resources; collective responsibility and the management of liability; reporting and annual reviews under FP6; audit and practical issues. For further information, Berkley Associates e-mail berkleyassociates@skynet.be

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