Introduction 



"Few, if any, developments since the end of the 

 Second World War have influenced the course of 

 science and technology (S&T) in Europe so extensively, 

 or potentially so radically, as the evolution of the 

 European Communities (EC), specifically the 

 constitutional revision in 1987 that produced the Single 

 European Act and brought S&T officially under the 

 umbrella of EC responsibilities for the first time. 

 Scientific and technological integration is occurring 

 within the EC apart from, but parallel to, the 1992 Plan 

 for a fully integrated economic base - the "Single 

 Market." The issues and forces driving economic 

 integration, and its political and social components, 

 apply equally to the realm of S&T." 



So opens the staff study which is appended to and 

 forms the substantive underpinning of this report. As 

 those lines were first drafted in the spring of 1990, a 

 large number of those in the U.S. research policy 

 community familiar with European science and 

 technology were still skeptical of the influence of EC 

 economic policies on the progress of S&T. However, 

 even the most dubious should be reconsidering that view 

 in light of recent developments in Europe. With the 

 lightning pace of cohension among European 

 Community govemments over the past year on such 

 issues as monetary union, political federation and 

 consideration of a common security policy, a momentum 

 for integration has developed with enough force to 

 override the last holdouts for national sovereignty in 

 these areas — indeed, strong enough to assist in toppling 

 the most prominent advocate of national sovereignty, 

 British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. 



This report highlights the major aspects of that 

 integrative process and its contributing factors, 

 particularly the role and functions of the EC 

 Commission in S&T and the interplay of S&T policy 

 between the Commission and its chief member nations. 

 The report also takes note of the growing dimension of 

 international relations in Community research and 

 technology activities, pointing the way to a potential, 

 though gradual, evolution of the Commission and 

 Council of Ministers jointly into the dominant 

 coordinating and strategic policy locus within the EC. 



The current situation presents several challenges to 

 U.S. policymaking, among them: accuracy in U.S. 

 perceptions of S&T integration in Europe; the most 

 appropriate use of U.S. influence on that process; and 

 the allocation of U.S. public-sector resources for 

 cooperation with Europe. Pointing up the difficulty of 

 responding to these challenges, a review of salient 

 features relating to EC integration and US-EC relations 

 argues for a gradual redistribution and expansion of U.S. 

 efforts, to reflect recognition of the increasing 

 importance of cooperation at the mulitlateral level in, 

 and with, Europe. At the same time, these features taken 

 collectively argue for maintaining a preponderant 

 programmatic emphasis on bilateral relations with the 

 member states. Finally the report presents a summary of 

 issues pertaining to that cooperation and provides 

 recommendations for policy and operational responses 

 by the U.S. government generally, and National Science 

 Foundation in particular. 



The Role of the EC Commission in S&T Integration 



The Commission of the European Communities (the 

 "Commission") has taken the lead role in devising an 

 integrative S&T paradigm for the EC with its 

 FRAMEWORK Programme of multinational applied 

 research and development, which began in 1985. 

 Hitherto independent national S&T policies, research 

 programs and educational planning are increasingly 

 coordinated with and through the EC Commission in 

 Brussels. EC member states have already begun to take 

 the FRAMEWORK policies and programs into account 

 in their national strategic planning and funding 

 decisions, and in the process are beginning to relinquish 

 substantial degrees of autonomy over major areas of 



R&D activity. Although FRAMEWORK was conceived 

 and implemented separately from the 1992 Single 

 Market Plan, economic integration and its accompanying 

 monetary and fiscal harmonization have contributed 

 greatly to the impetus for change in the organization, 

 method of funding, and policy goals of science and 

 technology in Europe. 



The European Research Coordination Agency 

 (EUREKA), although industry-led and managed and not 

 a European Community initiative, is intimately linked on 

 the "downstream" technology applications side to a wide 

 variety of EC R&D programs. As one of the 2 1 national 



