European Parliament President Josep Borrell and Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen signed two major pieces of EU legislation in the Chamber in Brussels, officially signing both REACH - new chemicals legislation and the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) for Research. REACH enters into force on 1 June 2007 and FP7 enters into force on 1 January 2007.
REACH: official signing by EP President Borrell and Finnish Prime Minister Vanhanen
On Monday 18 December, EP President Josep BORRELL and Finnish Prime Minister Matti VANHANEN officially signed the REACH regulation. This ceremony took place in Brussels at 11am just before the start of Parliament's extraordinary plenary session being held to debate Finland's six-month tenure of the EU presidency. Once signed, the regulation is due to be published in the EU Official Journal by the end of 2006 and to enter into force on 1 June 2007.
The European Parliament gave its approval at second reading by an overwhelming majority, on 13 December 2006, to the compromise negotiated with the Council on the draft REACH regulation (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of CHemicals). MEPs decided that a fair balance had been struck between the interests of consumers and the environment on the one hand and those of the European chemicals industry on the other.
The REACH project will replace around 40 existing legislative texts. The aim is to gather more data on the safety of around 30,000 substances that were placed on the market before 1981 - the year since which formal applications for authorisation have been required - and are manufactured or imported in quantities of over one tonne per year. Of these products, around 3000 hazardous substances must now be subject to a strict authorisation procedure.
REACH seeks to improve protection of human health and the environment while making Europe's chemicals industry more competitive. It is the fruit of many years of negotiations between the European Parliament, the Member States represented by the Council, and the European Commission.
In its ambition, scope and technical complexity, REACH is one of the most important pieces of legislation ever examined by the European Parliament. The text, which exceeded 1000 pages at first reading in November 2005, was still 720 pages long at the end.
Seventh Framework Research Programme: Public signature ceremony in the EP
The President of the European Parliament, Josep BORRELL and the Finnish Prime Minister, Matti VANHANEN signed in a public ceremony on Monday 18 December in Brussels the Seventh Framework Research Programme. The ceremony took place at 11am in the Brussels debating Chamber just before the opening of the extraordinary plenary session of the EP on the results of the European Council held on 14 and 15 December in Brussels and on the conclusions of the Finnish Presidency. The programme will be entering into force on 1 January 2007.
The Framework Research Programme (FP7) was adopted by the European Parliament on 30 November 2006, after an agreement in second reading had been reached with the Council. It is the EU's main instrument for funding scientific research and is with a budget of more than 54 billion over its seven-year life the EU's third largest financial instrument.
FP7 is intended to build on the achievements of its predecessor by making further progress towards the creation of a European Research Area, the equivalent of a "common market" for research. The long-term goal is for the European Union to become the world's leading research area. Simpler instruments and procedures for funding and participation are a feature of FP7, which will promote collaborative research based on broad research areas, with much continuity from FP6 plus two new topics, space and security. Only projects involving several partners from different countries will be financed. The programme's funds are not general subsidies to research organisations or companies: they may only be used for specific work or research projects.
The second reading compromise adopted by the European Parliament on 30 November 2006 does not include major changes to the Commission's proposal in terms of structure, content or operational arrangements. The European Parliament strongly backed the programme from the outset and made every effort to speed it through the legislative process. Nevertheless, the first draft of FP7 put forward by the European Commission was modified in some respects during the co-decision procedure between Parliament and the Council of Ministers.
Successive framework programmes (FPs) have operated since 1984, each covering a five year period. The current programme - FP6 - expires at the end of 2006. However, FP7 will run for seven years - from 1 January 2007 to 2013 - so as to coincide with the EU's multiannual budget framework (the Financial Perspective).
FP7 will have a budget of 54 582 million in current prices. Of this, 50 521 million is for the European Community programme and 2751 million for the Euratom programme, which runs from 2007 to 2011. A further 1310 million is indicatively planned for the Euratom programme for 2012-2013 but this will need to be confirmed at a later stage.
Bron : Europees Parlement