Research and Development

In early 2001 the Commission presented its draft Sixth Framework Programme for Research and Development (2003-2006). The total budget is €17,500m (€16,270m EC and €1,230m Euratom). The European Parliament demanded around 700 changes, not least on ethical grounds. Austria's proposals for increasing the budget for sustainable development (€2,100m), priority for radiation protection, and the possibility of financing new infrastructures from the programme, were included in the Council's Common Position on 10 December. A compromise was found on the issue of creating new instruments to promote research that would simplify administration and encourage larger integrated projects at European level. In 2004 there will be a general evaluation of the new instruments.

On ethical questions in the life sciences there was overwhelming agreement that reproductive cloning, research on germ line therapy and creation of embryos for research purposes and similar issues should not be financed. Germany, supported by Austria and Italy, also declared that, until a European regulation can be agreed, research on surplus embryos should not be supported from the programme, even if such research would be permissible under national law. Austria also demanded the exclusion of research on existing stem cell lines. In the Euratom programme, Austria, with German support, was able to prevent the granting of support for "new reactor concepts".