munich

The smooth continuation of the European Union (EU)'s five-year Framework programmes of research is being held hostage for the first time to broader political considerations. At a meeting of representatives of member states in Brussels last week, Spain — supported by Portugal — refused to vote on the proposals for the fifth Framework programme (FP5), due to start next year.

Spain is trying to use its veto power to force member states to continue to give it large amounts of structural funds — subsidies given to poorer EU countries and regions. Because the Framework programme must be approved unanimously by the Council of Ministers, which represents the member states, the result of Spain's action could be a gap in funding for researchers, as the fourth Framework programme (FP4) ends next December.

The EU has been required to rethink the way in which it distributes its structural funds because of its planned enlargement within the next decade to include some eastern European countries. Last summer, the European Commission published Agenda 2000, an informal communication covering the period 2000-06, proposing that, to make structural funds available to the newcomers before joining, spending on current members should not increase in nominal terms.

This means considerable real-term losses in income for major beneficiaries such as Spain, which is depending on these funds to maintain its economic criteria for joining full European monetary union. The threat to EU-funded research comes from the fact that Agenda 2000 will not be debated before the end of this year.

EU research ministers have their last chance next week to approve a common position, if FP5 is to start on schedule. Attempts are being made to persuade Spain to drop its blocking action. Its toughest opponent will be Germany, which strongly supports the move to divert structural funds to help future EU members that it borders, such as Poland and the Czech Republic. Germany opposes an increase in the overall budget to allow current beneficiaries to enjoy the level of subsidies to which they have become accustomed.