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This need is met by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) which:

• being an integral part of the Commission has the neutral and independent status needed;
• is staffed by high calibre scientists, engineers and technicians coming from all over the EU and covering a very broad range of disciplines;
• maintains and enhances its scientific excellence through the active participation in research in collaboration with leading research laboratories and universities;
• constitutes a "European" scientific community representing the synthesis of the multi-cultural tradition Europe is so proud of.

The creation of JRC dates back to the EAEC (European Atomic Energy Community) treaty, signed at Rome in 1957 by the six countries co-founders of the EEC (European Economic Community). The JRC was to be the main instrument for the realisation of an energy self-sufficient Europe.

The merging of EEC, EAEC and ECSC in 1966 coincided with the abandon of a "European" nuclear reactor design. The mission of the JRC and its role as a European Institutional body were redefined: JRC became a European body for multidisciplinary research financed by the "Commission of the European Communities". Later, its activities were integrated into the R&D Framework Programme.

Nowadays, the primary role of the JRC is that of supporting the European Commission in formulating and implementing its policies, providing a unique scientific and technical pool of expertise independent of industrial and national interests.

JRC performs its above stated role essentially in two ways: a) by performing research in some strategic fields where the competent European authorities (Council, Parliament) judge that the Commission must maintain its own scientific and technical potential independently or in complement to any similar national R&D programmes, b) by providing direct scientific and technical support to the rest of the Commission and to other European Institutions, primarily in those areas where the neutrality and independence are of fundamental importance.

In addition to the above, JRC constitutes an excellent host for young European scientists fostering not only their expertise and scientific potential but also their European consciousness and ideals.

The main reason for the very existence of the JRC is its loyalty to Europe, its neutrality and independence from national centres and commercial interests. This is assured primarily by the fact that JRC is an integral part of the Commission. It is exactly that which differentiates JRC from other private or national research entities. A JRC tied to either national or private interests is not conceivable.

The other fundamental characteristic of the JRC is the fact that it is a Research Centre. Scientific excellence, a prerequisite for the fulfilment of its role, cannot be maintained without doing research directly. JRC is unique among the other services of the Commission in that its scientific and technical expertise is fostered by performing research. A JRC without laboratories, administrating rather than performing research is not conceivable: A good part of the Commission services, comprising substantially more staff than the JRC, do just that: they administrate research programmes.

These are the two fundamental characteristics that identify JRC. They have been preserved during its almost 40 year long history throughout the frequent changes to which it has been subjected.

JRC mainly operates through its own share of the R&D Framework Programme of the European Commission performing the following tasks:

Apart from its participation to the R&D Framework Programme, JRC provides direct "on demand" scientific support to other services of the Commission and takes part to "competitive" research activities. The Joint Research Centre constitutes an important "in-house" pool of scientists, engineers and technicians who can be used to provide high calibre scientific and technical support to the rest of the Commission. The independence of the JRC staff from private or national economic groups and its loyalty to the Commission is the strongest guarantee for their impartiality. The broadness of the expertise and skills available in the JRC, as well as the trans-national, pluri-culture environment in which its staff operate constitute another big advantage.

To fulfil its role, besides being neutral and independent, JRC must also be "excellent" in a wide range of fields and disciplines. Excellence cannot be achieved in isolation, away from the European and international market of research. Instead, JRC needs to associate and compete with other research entities, sell its competence to industry, in brief: be present in the R&D market. That is why, on the side of its main research activities in support of the other Commission services and the other European Institutions, JRC must perform some "competitive" research work.

Nevertheless, competitive activities risk to compromise the neutrality and independence of JRC. It must be kept constantly in mind that "competitive" research is just a tool for performing efficiently its institutional mission. Additional benefits, like credits, visibility, valorisation of research etc., however important, are and must remain secondary.

For all these reasons, a careful, gradual approach, a meticulous filtering of the competitive activities and a well balanced policy of incentives between competitive and institutional work are required in order to maximise the gains while minimising their negative effects.

The personnel of JRC is very preoccupied by the strong biasing in favour of the so called "competitive" activities, which drain its resources and risk to compromise its institutional role. They suspect that the recent efforts to make JRC "competitive" and tie it to the Industry have as main scope the alteration of its public character, its neutrality and independence. Process that can lead to a gradual elimination of the Joint Research Centre.

The staff of the Joint Research Centre, as it has been demonstrated on numerous occasions in its almost 40 year long history, is both willing and able to adapt and to change. Nevertheless, it is not willing to undersign policies and actions, which, gradually but steadily, lead to the elimination of the JRC, negating in practice its identity and the reasons for its existence.

Fives Audritsos,

Member of the Executive Office of USEI.

Recherche AGORA MAGAZINE Mars 1998 pp16-17