Firstly, then, the Research Fund for Coal and Steel is necessary.

Pursuant to the Council's guidelines, after operating for five years the Research Fund for Coal and Steel was reviewed this year.

The actions that could receive European financing from the Research Fund for Coal and Steel include pilot projects and projects demonstrating the latest technologies in this field.

Basically, however, the Turchi report requests parliamentary control of the Research Fund for Coal and Steel and that request is totally coherent with this Parliament' s role.

In order to keep pace with the US research, a European project was funded by the Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS).

This proposed revision looked to further the positive results achieved during the first five years of the Research Fund for Coal and Steel research programme, notably in terms of environmental protection.

I call upon the Commission to consider the need to establish such a centre as part of long-term technical guidelines relating to the research programme of the Research Fund for Coal and Steel.

The essential principles and proper decision-making procedures related to the management of this fund are defined in the multiannual technical guidelines for the research programme of the Research Fund for Coal and Steel.

From this point of view, I believe greater financial involvement from the European Union is necessary in this sector, both by way of the Research Fund for Coal and Steel, and by the programmes of the Seventh Framework Programme.

In 2002, a protocol annexed to the Treaty of Nice created the Research Fund for Coal and Steel, a smart financial design using the interest accrued from the assets made available at the expiry of the European Coal and Steel Treaty.

Member of the Commission. - Mr President, first and foremost, I wish to express my gratitude to the European Parliament, and particularly to the rapporteur, Mr Gierek, for the interest and support shown regarding the Research Fund for Coal and Steel.

The next item is the report by Adam Gierek, on behalf of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, on the proposal for a Council decision on the multiannual technical guidelines for the research programme of the Research Fund for Coal and Steel - C6-0248/2007 -.

Fourthly, failure to include bitumen shales in the Research Fund for Coal and Steel programme - and the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance also put forward a proposal of this nature for these amendments - would have been injurious to Estonia, whose power generation is chiefly based on this fuel.

Once again I draw your attention to the fact that when it acceded to the EU, Estonia agreed that oil shales were to have the status of coal and therefore the basis of funding for the oil shales research programme must be the same as that of the research fund for coal and steel.