Dispute over R&D funds rumbles on

Date: 18/09/1997

By Leyla Linton

DELEGATIONS from the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers are unlikely to resolve the ongoing dispute over funding for EU research projects when they meet next week to try to settle their differences.

MEPs are sticking to their demand that an additional 200 million ecu be added to the current 13-billion-ecu Fourth Framework Programme for research and development, which runs until 1998. EU governments have so far refused to countenance a top-up of more than 100 million ecu.

When the two sides met earlier this month for the first round of conciliation talks on the issue the encounter was heated, with some of those present thumping tables.

Not for the first time, MEPs complained of Council intransigence. In the past, some have claimed that the talks process does not facilitate compromise, pointing out that if the conciliation committee cannot reach agreement then money is simply not allocated to any research projects at all.

Five countries - the UK, Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands - have so far refused to sanction any increase in the Council's offer of an extra 100 million ecu, stressing the need to maintain budget discipline.

Member state officials suggest, however, that there could be some room for manoeuvre at the meeting next Tuesday (23 September) over how the total funds available are split between various research topics.

This could help pave the way for an end to the dispute over the Council's plan to allocate 35 million ecu for BSE research, which MEPs say should be funded from elsewhere in the EU budget. They also want to see more money for research on renewable energy and land-mine detection technology.

Union governments have only allocated 9 million ecu for land-mine research, less than half the 20 million ecu needed for the proposed project to go ahead. British officials have let it be known that the UK government would be in favour of finding more money to support the research.