Parltrack

Activites

• 2008/06/12 Final act published in Official Journal
  • Regulation 2008/521
  • OJ L 153 12.06.2008, p. 0001
• 2008/05/29 Act adopted by Council after consultation of Parliament
• #2871
• 2008/05/29 Council Meeting
• 2008/05/29 End of procedure in Parliament
• 2008/05/20 Text adopted by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T6-0203/2008 summary

    The European Parliament adopted, by 591 votes to 13 with 15 abstentions, a resolution amending the proposal for a Council regulation setting up the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking. The report had been tabled for consideration in plenary by Pia Elda LOCATELLI (PES, IT) on behalf of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy.   The main amendments, adopted in the framework of the consultation procedure, are as follows: Establishment of the Joint Undertaking: Parliament stated that it must be ensured that, after the last call for proposals in 2013, projects still in progress are implemented, monitored and funded until 2017. Furthermore, the Joint Undertaking is a Community body as referred to in Article 185 of the Financial Regulation and that Parliamentary control over the budget is guaranteed. Objectives and tasks: the main aim of the Joint Undertaking shall be to place the European Union at the forefront of fuel cell and hydrogen technologies, thus enabling the market breakthrough of fuel cell and hydrogen technologies, so that the substantial benefits expected of such technology can be achieved by the market. Breakthrough-oriented research should also be supported. The research activities should build on the work carried out by the European Hydrogen and Fuel Cell. Furthermore, the participation of SMEs, research centres and universities in the RTD activities should be promoted. In line with the Rules for Participation in the Seventh Framework Programme, MEPs consider that the maximum level of public funding of eligible costs should, in the case of SMEs, research centres and universities, be fifty percent higher than for other entities. Community contribution: the amended text specifies that the initial Community contribution to the Joint Undertaking administrative and operational costs - EUR 470 million - shall be paid from the appropriations in the general budget of the European Union allocated to the "Energy", "Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and New Production Technologies", "Environment (including Climate Change)", and "Transport (including Aeronautics)" themes of the Specific Programme 'Cooperation' implementing the Seventh Framework Programme for research. This contribution may be revised during a mid-term review in light of progress made and the achievements and impact of the Joint Undertaking. The arrangements for the Community financial contribution shall be established by means of a general agreement and annual financial agreements to be concluded between the Commission, on behalf of the Community, and the FCH Joint Undertaking. The part of the Community contribution to the FCH Joint Undertaking for the funding of RTD activities shall be granted following open, competitive calls for proposals and an evaluation, completed with the assistance of independent experts, of the proposed project. The Commission's contribution to running costs shall not exceed EUR 20 million, payable in annual instalments of up to EUR 2 million; any part of this contribution not spent during the current year shall be made available in the following years for the RTD activities. A new recital states that the running costs, and in particular the administrative costs, should be kept to an absolute minimum and full use should be made of the resources and organisational systems of existing bodies. Funding: the FCH Joint Undertaking shall be jointly funded by its Members by way of financial contributions paid in instalments and by in-kind contributions from legal entities participating in the activities. The running costs of the FCH Joint Undertaking shall be covered equally in cash by the Community and the Industry Grouping from the outset. As soon as the Research Grouping becomes a member of the FCH Joint Undertaking, it shall contribute to 1/20 (and not 1/12) of the running costs and the Commission's contribution to running costs will decrease correspondingly. In the event that the Joint Research Centre of the Commission participates in projects, its in-kind contribution shall not be considered part of the Community contribution. Financial provisions: MEPs consider that the financial rules applicable to the Joint Undertaking should not depart from Commission Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2343/2002 on the framework Financial Regulation for the bodies referred to in Article 185 of the Financial Regulation, unless its specific operating needs so require. The prior consent of the Commission should be required for the adoption of any rules which derogate from this Regulation. The budgetary authority should be informed of such derogation. Reports, assessments: the annual report presented by the Commission shall include the number of proposals submitted, the number of proposals selected for funding, the types of participant (including SMEs) and country statistics. By no later than 31 December 2011 and 31 December 2014, the Commission shall present interim evaluations of the Joint Undertaking carried out with the assistance of independent experts. The Commission shall communicate the conclusions thereof, accompanied by its observations and, where appropriate, proposals for the amendment of the Regulation to the European Parliament and to the Council. No later than six months after the end of the FCH Joint Undertaking, the Commission shall conduct a final evaluation of the FCH Joint Undertaking. Personnel: MEPs stress that the need to ensure stable employment conditions and equal treatment of staff and to attract specialised scientific and technical staff of the highest calibre requires that the Commission be authorised to second as many officials as it regards necessary to the Joint Undertaking. The remaining staff should be recruited by the Joint Undertaking in accordance with the host country employment regulations. Intellectual property rights: given that this JTI forms part of FP7, the rules on intellectual property rights should be based on the principles set out in the Rules of Participation in FP7. Structure: the Executive Director is added to the bodies of the FCH JU. The Governing Board shall appoint its chairperson from among the representatives of the Industry Grouping. The chairperson shall be appointed for one year and may be re-appointed once. The representative of the SMEs and the representative of the Research Grouping shall be appointed vice-chairpersons. Lastly, it should be noted that the text has been put in line with the text of the other JTIs in order to have a consistent and horizontal approach. To this aim, amendments have been made moving parts of the main body of the text into the Annex, which would also reduce unnecessary duplication of the text and legal inconsistencies.

  • Results of vote in Parliament
• 2008/05/20 Commission response to text adopted in plenary
  • SP(2008)3593/2
  • DG Research and Innovation, POTOČNIK Janez
• 2008/05/19 Debate in Parliament
• 2008/04/10 Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading
  • A6-0145/2008
  • BUDG HAUG Jutta PSE
  • CONT
  • ENVI
  • ITRE ITRE/6/54798 LOCATELLI Pia Elda PSE
• 2008/04/08 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • BUDG HAUG Jutta PSE
  • CONT
  • ENVI
  • ITRE ITRE/6/54798 LOCATELLI Pia Elda PSE
• 2008/03/12 Economic and Social Committee: opinion, report
  • CES0484/2008
• #2852
• 2008/02/25 Council Meeting
• 2008/02/19 Committee draft report
  • PE402.530
• 2007/12/10 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • BUDG HAUG Jutta PSE
  • CONT
  • ENVI
  • ITRE ITRE/6/54798 LOCATELLI Pia Elda PSE
• #2832
• 2007/11/22 Council Meeting
• 2007/10/09 Legislative proposal
  • COM(2007)0571 summary

    PURPOSE: to establish a Joint Technology Initiative (JTI) on 'Fuel Cells and Hydrogen' to stimulate an integrated research, technological development and demonstration effort in fuel cell and hydrogen technologies of sufficient critical mass to contribute significantly to European energy public policy objectives. PROPOSED ACT: Council Regulation. BACKGROUND: Joint Technology Initiatives (JTIs) are introduced in the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) as a way of creating public-private partnerships in research at European level. The "Co-operation" Specific Programme identifies fuel cells and hydrogen as one of six areas where a JTI could be particularly relevant, alongside aeronautics and air transport, innovative medicines, embedded computing systems, nanoelectronics and global monitoring for environment and security (GMES). JTIs arise mainly from the work of European Technology Platforms (ETPs). In a small number of cases, ETPs have achieved such an ambitious scale and scope that they will require the mobilisation of high public and private investments as well as substantial research resources to implement important elements of their Strategic Research Agendas. JTIs are proposed as an effective means of meeting the needs of these ETPs. Fuel cells are very quiet, highly efficient, energy converters capable of delivering substantial cumulative greenhouse gases (GHG) and pollutant reductions. They offer flexibility to the energy mix as they can be operated on hydrogen and other fuels such as natural gas, ethanol and methanol. Fuel cells using hydrogen are intrinsically clean energy converters because the only exhaust product is steam, while other types using natural gas and other fossil fuels also reduce emissions because they use less fuel owing to their higher efficiency. The introduction of hydrogen as a flexible energy carrier can contribute positively to energy security and stabilise energy prices as it can be produced from any primary energy source, and as such can introduce diversity into the transport mix, which is currently 98% dependent on oil. Although significant EU public funds have already been directed to research into fuel cells and hydrogen, and they are already included in the FP7 energy and transport research portfolio as an important component of research, technological development and demonstration (RTD&D) strategy, the technologies are unlikely to be commercially available as quickly as is desirable. There is a danger of fuel cell and hydrogen industrial development stagnating and falling further behind global competitors. An integrated strategy is required to maximise the benefits of transition technologies with fuel cells using natural gas, biogas, methanol and ethanol, if possible combined with carbon capture and storage (CCS) in the pathway and exploiting strategic niche markets in a planned and optimised framework to avoid economic disruption. CONTENT: the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking resulting from the Technology Platform on Hydrogen and Fuel Cells contributes to the implementation of the Environmental Technologies Action Plan (ETAP) as foreseen in the Communication which included this Technology Platform within priority actions of the ETAP (INI/2004/2131). The European Parliament adopted a Written Declarationin May 2007 which called upon the EU Institutions to support fuel cell and hydrogen technologies for portable, stationary, and transport applications through a partnership with committed regions and cities, SMEs and civil society organisations (DCE/2007/2123). The FCH Joint Undertaking shall contribute to the implementation of the Seventh Framework Programme (2007-2013) of the European Community for research, technology development and demonstration and in particular the 'Cooperation' Specific Programme themes for "Energy", "Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and New Production Technologies", "Environment (including Climate Change)", and "Transport (including Aeronautics)". It shall, in particular: support research, technological development and demonstration (RTD&D) in the Member States and Associated countries in a coordinated manner to overcome the market failure and focus on developing market applications and thereby facilitate additional industrial efforts towards a rapid deployment of fuel cells and hydrogen technologies; support the implementation of the research priorities of the JTI on Fuel Cells and Hydrogen, notably by awarding grants following competitive calls for proposals; aim to encourage increased public and private research investment in fuel cells and hydrogen technologies in the Members States and Associated countries; conclude service and supply contracts necessary for the functioning of the FCH Joint Undertaking; ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the JTI on Fuel Cells and Hydrogen. The FCH Joint Undertaking shall be considered as an international body which shall be located in Brussels, Belgium. It should be set up for an initial period of 10 years ending on 31 December 2017. This period may be extended. The founding members of the FCH Joint Undertaking shall be: (a) the European Community, represented by the Commission, and (b) the European Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Technology Initiative Industry Grouping Aisbl established under Belgian law (hereinafter the 'Industry Grouping'). The EC budget, totalling EUR 470 million, will come from the following FP7 "Cooperation" Specific Programme budget lines: Energy; Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and New Production Technologies; Transport (including Aeronautics); and Environment (including Climate Change) in DG RTD and Transport in DG TREN. Lastly, the Commission shall present to the European Parliament and to the Council an annual report on the progress achieved by the FCH Joint Undertaking.

  • SEC(2007)1272
  • SEC(2007)1273
  • DG Research and Innovation, POTOČNIK Janez

Documents

• Legislative proposal published: COM(2007)0571
• Document attached to the procedure: SEC(2007)1272
• Document attached to the procedure: SEC(2007)1273
• Committee draft report: PE402.530
• Economic and Social Committee: opinion, report: CES0484/2008
• Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading: A6-0145/2008
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T6-0203/2008
• Results of vote in Parliament: Results of vote in Parliament
• Commission response to text adopted in plenary: SP(2008)3593/2
• : Regulation 2008/521
• : OJ L 153 12.06.2008, p. 0001

Votes

Report: Locatelli A6-0145/2008 - resolution

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)