{"change_dates":[],"dossier":{"amendments":[],"changes":{"2014-11-09T23:45:29":[{"data":[{"body":"EC","commission":[{"Commissioner":"OETTINGER G\u00fcnther","DG":{"title":"Research and Innovation","url":"http://ec.europa.eu/research/home.cfm"}}],"date":"2011-04-20T00:00:00","docs":[{"celexid":"CELEX:52011PC0224:EN","text":["
PURPOSE: to amend Council Regulation (EC) No 521/2008 setting up the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking.
PROPOSED ACT: Council Regulation.
BACKGROUND: fuel cells and\n hydrogen (FCH) technologies are promising, long-term energy options that can\n be used in all the sectors of the economy and that offer a broad range of\n benefits for energy security, transport, environment and resource efficiency.\n They are expected to play a major role in the transition of the EU to a\n low-carbon society and to achieve the goal of cutting GHG emissions by over\n 85% by 2050.
In the\n transport sector, a recent study concludes that:
In order to\n enable the full contribution of FCH technologies continuous and stable public\n support and accompanying policy measures are still needed to overcome the\n remaining technological, economic and institutional barriers to their\n widespread commercialisation. The major EU competitors in this field (US,\n Japan, South Korea and China) continue to conduct comprehensive efforts to\n overcome these barriers via RTD programmes, policy measures and\n commercialisation exercises.
IMPACT ASSESSMENT: no impact assessment was carried out.
LEGAL BASIS: Articles 187 and 188\n of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
CONTENT: the Joint Undertaking\n for Fuel Cells and Hydrogen (FCH JU) was established by Council Regulation (EC) No 521/2008. The three members, the Industry Grouping (IG), the Research\n Grouping (RG) and the European Commission share the funding of administrative\n and operational costs.
A requirement\n for the participation of industry from the outset was that industry should\n make a financial contribution of 50% of the running costs (shared with the\n Commission), and that industry's in-kind contribution to the operational\n costs should at least match the Commission's financial contribution.
Since its\n establishment the FCH JU has published three calls for proposals: the first\n covering EUR 28.1 million, the second EUR 73.1 million and the third EUR 89.1\n million. The provision for matching contributions from industry for operational\n costs means that industry also has to cover contributions to the other\n participants (including universities, research centres, public bodies, etc.)\n for all types of activities (including basic research).
The result in\n the first two FCH JU calls for proposals is that the maximum funding levels\n have to be systematically evaluated and reduced for all participants. For the\n first two calls the matching requirement resulted in a significant reduction\n of reimbursement of direct costs: for large industries from 50% to 33% FCH JU\n contribution and for SMEs and research bodies from 75% to 50%.
The low\n funding rates and the financial and economic crisis, which affects the\n industry working with this future technology, result in the current level of\n participation in the actions of the FCH JU being below initial expectations.\n A general loss of interest by both industry and the research community can be\n expected if we continue along the same path. Accordingly,\n the proposal aims to adapt the Regulation as follows:
BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS: there are\n no financial implications compared to the budget initially adopted for this\n Council Regulation. The amendments suggested will improve the possibility of\n spending the amounts provided. The EU contribution, totalling 470 million\n EUR, will come from the following FP7 \"Cooperation\" Specific\n Programme budget lines: Energy; Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and\n New Production Technologies; Transport (including Aeronautics); and\n Environment (including Climate Change) in DG RTD and Transport in DG MOVE and\n Energy in DG ENER.
\nThe Committee on Industry, Research and\n Energy adopted the report drafted by Herbert REUL (EPP, DE) recommending the\n European Parliament to approve, unamended, the proposal for a Council\n regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 521/2008 setting up the Fuel Cells and\n Hydrogen Joint Undertaking.
\nThe European Parliament adopted by 592\n votes to 18, with 57 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal\n for a Council regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 521/2008 setting up the\n Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking.
Parliament approved the Commission\n proposal unamended.
\nPURPOSE: to amend Regulation (EC) No 521/2008\nsetting up the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking to\nfacilitate financial and in-kind contributions.
\nNON-LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Regulation (EU) No\n1183/2011 amending Regulation (EC) No 521/2008 setting up the Fuel\nCells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking.
\nBACKGROUND: the fuel cells and hydrogen joint\ntechnology initiative is a public-private partnership supporting\nresearch, development and demonstration activities in fuel cell and\nhydrogen energy technologies in Europe. Its aim is to accelerate\nthe market introduction of these technologies realising their\npotential as a vector in a carbon-lean energy system. To implement\nthe initiative, the founding members set up a joint undertaking in\nMay 2008 for the period up to 2017 with the objective of pooling\nresources from public and private sources. The Fuel Cells and\nHydrogen Joint Undertaking (the FCH Joint Undertaking)\nwas set up under Council Regulation (EC) No 521/2008 by its\nfounding members, the European Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint\nTechnology Initiative Industry Grouping Aisbl (the Industry\nGrouping) and the Commission. The Research Grouping became a\nmember of the FCH Joint Undertaking on 14 July 2008 and contributes\nboth financially and in kind to the objectives of the FCH Joint\nUndertaking. Since the members of the Research Grouping may benefit\nfrom the results achieved by the FCH JU in the same manner as the\nmembers of the Industry Grouping, it is justified to allow the\nin-kind contribution from both the Industry Grouping and Research\nGrouping to be counted as matching funds.
\nCONTENT: this Regulation amends the current\nprovisions governing the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking\nin order to facilitate research actions and make it easier to\nincrease funding levels for the project.
\nThe main amendments are as follows:
\n· \nthe new\ntext states that the matching of EU funds shall take into account\nnot only industry's own contribution but also that coming from the\nother legal entities participating in the activities;
\n· \nthe\noperational costs of the Programme Office of the Joint Undertaking\nshould be provided by its three members. It is appropriate to\nprovide that all members of the Joint Undertaking have the same\npayment schedule;
\n· \nthe\nCommission is given some flexibility as to the measures to take in\ncase of insufficient matching;
\n· \nthe\nfunding level is determined after each evaluation of received\nproposals. In order to allow the beneficiaries to estimate the\nextent of the potential funding, the new Regulation provides for\nthe possibility of specifying the minimum funding level for a\ncall.
\nENTRY INTO FORCE: 09/12/2011.
\nPURPOSE: to amend Council Regulation (EC) No 521/2008 setting up the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking.
PROPOSED ACT: Council Regulation.
BACKGROUND: fuel cells and\n hydrogen (FCH) technologies are promising, long-term energy options that can\n be used in all the sectors of the economy and that offer a broad range of\n benefits for energy security, transport, environment and resource efficiency.\n They are expected to play a major role in the transition of the EU to a\n low-carbon society and to achieve the goal of cutting GHG emissions by over\n 85% by 2050.
In the\n transport sector, a recent study concludes that:
In order to\n enable the full contribution of FCH technologies continuous and stable public\n support and accompanying policy measures are still needed to overcome the\n remaining technological, economic and institutional barriers to their\n widespread commercialisation. The major EU competitors in this field (US,\n Japan, South Korea and China) continue to conduct comprehensive efforts to\n overcome these barriers via RTD programmes, policy measures and\n commercialisation exercises.
IMPACT ASSESSMENT: no impact assessment was carried out.
LEGAL BASIS: Articles 187 and 188\n of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
CONTENT: the Joint Undertaking\n for Fuel Cells and Hydrogen (FCH JU) was established by Council Regulation (EC) No 521/2008. The three members, the Industry Grouping (IG), the Research\n Grouping (RG) and the European Commission share the funding of administrative\n and operational costs.
A requirement\n for the participation of industry from the outset was that industry should\n make a financial contribution of 50% of the running costs (shared with the\n Commission), and that industry's in-kind contribution to the operational\n costs should at least match the Commission's financial contribution.
Since its\n establishment the FCH JU has published three calls for proposals: the first\n covering EUR 28.1 million, the second EUR 73.1 million and the third EUR 89.1\n million. The provision for matching contributions from industry for operational\n costs means that industry also has to cover contributions to the other\n participants (including universities, research centres, public bodies, etc.)\n for all types of activities (including basic research).
The result in\n the first two FCH JU calls for proposals is that the maximum funding levels\n have to be systematically evaluated and reduced for all participants. For the\n first two calls the matching requirement resulted in a significant reduction\n of reimbursement of direct costs: for large industries from 50% to 33% FCH JU\n contribution and for SMEs and research bodies from 75% to 50%.
The low\n funding rates and the financial and economic crisis, which affects the\n industry working with this future technology, result in the current level of\n participation in the actions of the FCH JU being below initial expectations.\n A general loss of interest by both industry and the research community can be\n expected if we continue along the same path. Accordingly,\n the proposal aims to adapt the Regulation as follows:
BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS: there are\n no financial implications compared to the budget initially adopted for this\n Council Regulation. The amendments suggested will improve the possibility of\n spending the amounts provided. The EU contribution, totalling 470 million\n EUR, will come from the following FP7 \"Cooperation\" Specific\n Programme budget lines: Energy; Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and\n New Production Technologies; Transport (including Aeronautics); and\n Environment (including Climate Change) in DG RTD and Transport in DG MOVE and\n Energy in DG ENER.
\nThe Committee on Industry, Research and\n Energy adopted the report drafted by Herbert REUL (EPP, DE) recommending the\n European Parliament to approve, unamended, the proposal for a Council\n regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 521/2008 setting up the Fuel Cells and\n Hydrogen Joint Undertaking.
\nThe European Parliament adopted by 592\n votes to 18, with 57 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal\n for a Council regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 521/2008 setting up the\n Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking.
Parliament approved the Commission\n proposal unamended.
\nPURPOSE: to amend Regulation (EC) No 521/2008\nsetting up the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking to\nfacilitate financial and in-kind contributions.
\nNON-LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Regulation (EU) No\n1183/2011 amending Regulation (EC) No 521/2008 setting up the Fuel\nCells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking.
\nBACKGROUND: the fuel cells and hydrogen joint\ntechnology initiative is a public-private partnership supporting\nresearch, development and demonstration activities in fuel cell and\nhydrogen energy technologies in Europe. Its aim is to accelerate\nthe market introduction of these technologies realising their\npotential as a vector in a carbon-lean energy system. To implement\nthe initiative, the founding members set up a joint undertaking in\nMay 2008 for the period up to 2017 with the objective of pooling\nresources from public and private sources. The Fuel Cells and\nHydrogen Joint Undertaking (the FCH Joint Undertaking)\nwas set up under Council Regulation (EC) No 521/2008 by its\nfounding members, the European Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint\nTechnology Initiative Industry Grouping Aisbl (the Industry\nGrouping) and the Commission. The Research Grouping became a\nmember of the FCH Joint Undertaking on 14 July 2008 and contributes\nboth financially and in kind to the objectives of the FCH Joint\nUndertaking. Since the members of the Research Grouping may benefit\nfrom the results achieved by the FCH JU in the same manner as the\nmembers of the Industry Grouping, it is justified to allow the\nin-kind contribution from both the Industry Grouping and Research\nGrouping to be counted as matching funds.
\nCONTENT: this Regulation amends the current\nprovisions governing the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking\nin order to facilitate research actions and make it easier to\nincrease funding levels for the project.
\nThe main amendments are as follows:
\n· \nthe new\ntext states that the matching of EU funds shall take into account\nnot only industry's own contribution but also that coming from the\nother legal entities participating in the activities;
\n· \nthe\noperational costs of the Programme Office of the Joint Undertaking\nshould be provided by its three members. It is appropriate to\nprovide that all members of the Joint Undertaking have the same\npayment schedule;
\n· \nthe\nCommission is given some flexibility as to the measures to take in\ncase of insufficient matching;
\n· \nthe\nfunding level is determined after each evaluation of received\nproposals. In order to allow the beneficiaries to estimate the\nextent of the potential funding, the new Regulation provides for\nthe possibility of specifying the minimum funding level for a\ncall.
\nENTRY INTO FORCE: 09/12/2011.
\n