§ Mr. CurryTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress was made at the meeting of the Research Council of European Community Ministers on 17 November, and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NewtonI represented Her Majesty's Government at the meeting of the Community's Council of Ministers (Research) in Brussels on 17 November.
The Council agreed common positions on three programmes within the overall provisions of the Community's 1987–91 framework programme for R and D:
ECLAIR, a programme covering agro-industrial technologies which is aimed at improving links between agriculture and industry with Community funding of 80 mecu (£53 million) over five years; SPES, a programme with Community funding of 6 mecu (£4 million) over four years, which is intended to promote European collaboration in economic science by improving the training, communications and mobility of economists within the Community and stimulate economics research networks at the European level; and the large facilities programme designed to facilitate wider access by European researchers to large-scale European scientific facilities.
The programme will provide Community funding of 30 mecu (£20 million) over four years for contributions to the operating costs of selected facilities, and, if necessary, to the costs of adaptations or enhancements needed to increase access together with expenditure incurred by visiting scientists.
95WThe Council discussed a presidency paper on the technological gap between the developed and less developed regions of the Community. There was agreement that although Community R and D policy should take account of the need to strengthen the cohesion of the Community, the need for European industrial competitiveness and technical excellence should be the priority for EC R and D programmes.
The Council also received a Commission presentation on proposed Community involvement in European space development.