mr president i wish to express my gratitude to the european parliament and particularly to the rapporteur ms lena ek for supporting the european commission's proposals on the joint baltic sea research programme bonus
i would also like to thank the shadow rapporteurs on the committee on industry research and energy for their constructive support and i would like to acknowledge the supportive opinion of the european parliament's committee on the environment public health and food safety concerning the bonus programme
eight of the nine states bordering the baltic sea are members of the european union and we are all aware of the very complex and pressing environmental problems currently being faced in the baltic sea which were outlined very eloquently by ms ek a few moments ago
these ever-increasing pressures are today threatening the capacity of the baltic sea region to continue to provide the diverse range of goods and services upon which we have all learned to depend
science has a very important role to play in supporting public policy in the research and environmental sectors
however the fragmentation of the european research system and the lack of coordination and coherence among its national components undermine its cost effectiveness and overall performance
this is indeed the challenge that we face in the baltic sea region
it is clear that no individual baltic sea state acting alone can be successful in solving the complex environmental issues in this area
to tackle the environmental problems in the baltic sea it is now a matter of urgency to develop a strategic and integrated research strategy for the region enable cross-border synergies pool resources share knowledge and enhance the cross-border mobility of researchers
this is how we can ensure a sustainable future for the baltic sea region
the bonus initiative together with the efforts made within the framework of the eu strategy for the baltic sea region will provide the structure and the means to address these challenges in an effective and coordinated manner
i welcome the institutional agreement that was reached with regard to the implementation of the bonus initiative on twenty-seven april last
having said this i would also like to stress my regret at the lack of agreement among the member states to put in place a real common-pot model as set out in the original european commission proposal
without having a real common-pot financing facility the selection of the best transnational research proposals based strictly on scientific excellence the quality of the consortium and the expected impact cannot be fully guaranteed
it does not allow for the full realisation of the benefits added value and efficiency gains of cross-border collaboration
for this reason the european commission would like to stress that the implications of this decision should not be taken as a precedent for future proposals
member states will need to commit to a real common pot for cross-border funding and collaboration before the launch of any further initiatives based on article one hundred and eighty-five of the lisbon treaty
to come back to this current initiative the european commission has every confidence that the bonus programme will be in a position to optimise the potential of environmental research programmes in the baltic sea region enhance the scientific capacity of the area facilitate cross-border mobility of researchers promote synergies and avoid wasteful duplication of research efforts
this will secure a sustainable future for the baltic sea
