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Programme for Research: EUC Report

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Woolmer, for introducing this report and for the bulk of the report before your Lordships today. It fell to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Development Policy Sub-Committee to consider the space and security programme included in the Seventh Framework Programme for Research. Therefore, that sub-committee of the European Union Committee contributed to and has the responsibility for Chapter 3. I am grateful to members of the sub-committee and our clerk, Emily Baldock, for their work in preparing this chapter. I do not wish to take a great deal of your Lordships’ time, but I have a number of specific questions relating to Chapter 3 that arise from the Government’s response, to which I hope that the Minister may be able to give some answers today. When the original proposals were published, the Government expressed serious reservations on security research. The Home Office published a long paper in consultation with the Ministry of Defence, which stated that it was essential to ensure that the European security research programme did not harm the security interests of member states or cut across either national defence research or European co-operation on defence research, and that there would need to be effective safeguards. The sub-committee agreed with that view. On the narrow point of the budget, to which the noble Lord, Lord Woolmer, has already referred, I would ask the Minister to clarify the position. In the Government’s response, they note that the political agreement was the same as in the Commission’s revised proposals. But the Government have also stated that they would like to see the budget line for space and security reduced. It is unclear from this response whether there has been any reduction in the budget line for space and security and whether this still reflects the United Kingdom’s priorities on the proposed budget. Clarification would be much appreciated. As regards security research, the sub-committee acknowledges and welcomes the undertaking given by Commissioner Verheugen in correspondence that the focus should be on civil research. The Government have noted that under the framework programme these moneys cannot be used to fund defence research. However, this does not cover the potential problems of dual-use research, to which the sub-committee’s recommendations mainly referred. We recommended a number of means of monitoring such research proposals, but the Government’s response makes no specific comments on that. I should be grateful if the Minister could state specifically whether they have pressed for the involvement of COREPER and the General Affairs and External Relations Council in accordance with the recommendation made in this report, and for co-operation between the Commission member states and the European Defence Agency. The Government’s response also refers to the role of the programme committee in which they are to participate. It states that the committee will beable to carry out the function foreseen by our committee. However, there is no indication that the programme committee should consult with, for example, the European Defence Agency. We were seized of the considerable sensitivities that may arise at the prospect of the Commission having any involvement in defence matters, even if that were legally possible. Having conducted a previous inquiry into the European Defence Agency, however, we are optimistic about its prospects. During that inquiry it was clear that research in some instances may have a dual use. Communications is a prime example, but it would be unfortunate if, by maintaining a too purist view, we encouraged or permitted duplication of effort and cost, or did not use the resources available. The European Defence Agency appears to be a vehicle by which this can be avoided. I would be grateful if the Minister could assure the House that the technologies with a dual use—civil and military—will be identified, and if he could advise us of the current state of co-operation between the Commission and the European Defence Agency on these issues.