The Council
agreed on a "general approach" (substantial elements of the legal
acts) on four proposals aimed at establishing joint technology initiatives
(JTIs) in the following fields:
- Innovative
medicines ("IMI")
- Embedded
computing systems ("ARTEMIS
- Nanoelectronic
technologies ("ENIAC")
- Aeronautics
and air transport ("CLEAN SKY")
The
agreement on the general approach paves the way for adopting the final
Decisions as soon as possible after receiving the European Parliament's
opinions, in order to enable a swift start to the four JTIs in early 2008.
According
to the agreement reached today, the JTIs would have the following common
features:
- The JTIs
should be set up under Community law as Community bodies. They should
receive Community funding in order to implement the research programmes,
notably by awarding funding to selected projects, following publication
of calls for proposals.
- They will
take the form of real public / private partnerships with a shared
responsibility of industry in the management of the joint undertakings.
EU Member States and the Commission will exercise appropriate supervision
over the use of public funds.
- They will
have a limited duration of 10 years.
- JTIs will
not have the status of international organisations.
- JTIs will
have legal personality and will be established on the basis of Articles
171 and 172 of the EC Treaty.
- They will implement the
research programmes by combining public and private funding.
- The Community will contribute
to both the research activities and the running costs.