PURPOSE: to revise Decision 2008/376/EC in order to
ensure a coherent framework for participation in both the
Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) Programme and
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme in sectors relating to the coal
and steel industry.
PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.
ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the Council adopts
the act after consulting the European Parliament but without being
obliged to follow its opinion.
BACKGROUND: after the expiry of the European Coal and
Steel Community (ECSC) Treaty in 2012 and under a Protocol annexed
to the EU Treaties, the European Member States established the new
Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) and
transferred all remaining assets of the (expired) ECSC to this new
fund.
The RFCS Programme provides annually around EUR 50
million of R&D and Innovation funding to both coal and
steel sectors (with a distribution of 27.2 % for coal and 72.8 %
for steel) bringing together industrial partners, SMEs, leading
research centres and universities across the European Union to
develop knowledge and foster innovation. The Programme is funded
by the EU general budget and is managed by and under the
responsibility of the Commission.
The legal basis laying down the management rules of
the RFCS was adopted by the Council in 2003
and has already been revised in 2008.
It provides for systematic periodical reassessments of the
programmes relevance and of the effectiveness of its
management rules (multiannual technical guidelines).
CONTENT: the purpose of this proposal is to amend
the legal basis of the research programme dedicated to the Coal and
Steel sectors after the periodical assessment of its management
rules with a view to implement the following objectives:
- ensuring a transparent management of a programme
funded by the EU general budget and under the responsibility of the
Commission with the implementation of the rules of the Commission
concerning expert groups;
- facilitating access to funding for beneficiaries with
simplified rules and through a proportionate alignment with the
rules of the general research programme Horizon
2020 with which Coal and Steel stakeholders are
familiar;
- updating the provisions referred to in the legal basis
concerning in particular comitology.
The proposed revision of the RFCS legal basis is
focused on the management rules of the RFCS programme (chapter III)
and aligns, as much as possible the procedures and concepts used
for H2020 to facilitate the participation of same beneficiaries to
both programmes (RFCS and H2020). In particular:
- the different category of actors in a funded
project (participant, subcontractor, third party), their
eligibility and obligations are defined in accordance with the
definitions used in H2020 programme;
- the H2020 appointment procedure for independent
experts charged with the evaluation of proposals submitted
applies for the appointment of independent experts in the RFCS
programme;
- the possibility to charge as eligible costs an amount
fixed by the Commission as Staff costs for SMEs owners and
other natural persons not receiving a salary is
authorised.
In addition, the proposal:
- introduced a clarification on the nature of the
experts appointed by the Commission to attend the Advisory
Groups and the Technical Groups set up by the legal basis of the
RFCS Programme is required to avoid any conflict of
interests;
- provides that the composition and tasks of the
Advisory Groups and the composition and tasks of the Technical
Groups should be revised. The competencies of the Advisory
Groups are focused on the management rules and procedures, the
segregation between Advisory and Technical groups is enhanced and
the appointment procedure of their members is
clarified.
The objectives and the scope of the Programme are
unchanged.