(g) oil shales.

(g) bitumen shales.

Justification

The definition of the term 'coal' has been inappropriately broadened to include 'oil shales' when it already covers hard coal, which includes 'A'-ranking coals and thus bitumen shales. The broader term 'bitumen shales' should therefore be used instead of 'oil shales', since the latter come into the category of bitumen shales.

Such projects shall make coal more competitive on local energy markets, subject to efficient use being made of local coal reserves.

(ca) more efficient conversion of the primary energy latent in coal into other energy forms, for example through the use of conventional coal gasification and liquefaction technologies;

Justification

Conventional coal gasification and liquefaction are 'clean coal' technologies. When used as motor fuels, the products of gasification and liquefaction, including hydrogen, help to reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, owing to more efficient energy conversion.

(cb) more economic and more reliable technologies.

(d) the refurbishment of waste heaps and the industrial use of residues from coal production and consumption;

(d) the refurbishment of waste heaps and the use of residues from coal production and consumption;

Research projects with this objective shall relate to the prospects for long-term energy supply and concern the upgrading - in economic, energy-related and environmental terms - of coal deposits which cannot be extracted economically by conventional mining techniques. Projects may include studies, the definition of strategies, fundamental and applied research and the testing of innovative techniques which offer prospects for the upgrading of Community coal resources.

Research projects with this objective shall relate to the prospects for safeguarding long-term energy supply and concern the upgrading and efficient transport - in economic, energy-related and environmental terms - of coal which cannot be extracted economically by conventional mining techniques. Projects may include studies, the definition of strategies, fundamental and applied research and the testing of innovative techniques which offer prospects for the upgrading of Community coal resources.

Preference shall be given to projects integrating complementary techniques such as the adsorption of methane or carbon dioxide, coal bed methane extraction and underground coal gasification.

Preference shall be given to projects integrating complementary techniques such as the adsorption of methane or carbon dioxide, coal bed methane extraction and use as an energy source, efficient coal burning in heat and electricity generation processes and unconventional underground coal gasification methods.

(ja) steel castings and forgings and sintered products obtained by powder metallurgy from iron powders and ferro-alloys as semi-finished products for further processing;

Justification

Steel castings, steel forgings and sintered iron goods made out of powder metallurgy used to be covered by the 6FP by being called/named explicitly. Therefore my doubts about the current proposal.

(b) steel properties addressing mechanical properties at low and high temperatures such as strength and toughness, fatigue, wear, creep, corrosion and resistance against fracture;

(b) steel characteristics addressing the mechanical properties of steels at low and high temperatures such as strength under varying degrees of tension, hardness, shock resistance, mechanical and thermal fatigue, creep and fracture resistance and abrasion wear and corrosion resistance;

(c) prolonging service life, in particular by improving the resistance of steels and steel structures to heat and corrosion;

(c) prolonging service life, in particular by improving the resistance of steels and steel structures to high-temperature wear and corrosion;

c) prolonging service life, in particular by improving the resistance of steels and steel structures to heat and corrosion;

c) prolonging service life, in particular by improving the resistance of steels and steel structures to heat, corrosion and other influences;

(d) steel-containing composites and sandwich structures;

(d) fibrous and layered composites and structures;

(e) predictive simulation models on microstructures and mechanical properties;

(e) predictive simulation models on microstructures, mechanical properties, etc;

(b) steel grades and design of assembled structures to facilitate the easy recovery of steel scrap and its reconversion into usable steels;

(b) design of steel structures that are easy to disassemble at the end of their service life, with a view to the recovery of steel scrap and its reconversion into usable steels;

Any undertaking, public body, research organisation or higher and secondary education establishment, or other legal entity, including natural persons, from third countries shall be entitled to participate on the basis of individual projects without receiving any financial contribution under the Research Programme, provided that such participation is in the interest of the Community.

Any undertaking, public body, research organisation or higher and secondary education establishment, or other legal entity, including natural persons, from third countries shall be entitled to participate on the basis of individual projects without receiving any financial contribution under the Research Programme, provided that such participation is in the interest of the Community and provided that the participant is able to provide the basic resources required for the project's implementation.

The Coal and Steel Advisory Groups (hereinafter referred to as "the Advisory Groups") shall be independent technical advisory groups.

The Coal and Steel Advisory Groups (hereinafter referred to as "the Advisory Groups") shall be independent technical advisory groups comprising appropriately qualified specialists.

The Commission shall ensure, within each Advisory Group, a balanced range of expertise and the broadest possible geographical representation.

The Commission shall ensure, within each Advisory Group, a balanced range of expertise and the broadest possible geographical and geo-economic representation, , with special reference to [the Member States which joined the European Union in 2004].

3. The Commission shall establish an information package setting out the detailed rules for participation, the methods of managing proposals and projects, application forms, rules for the submission of proposals, model grant agreements, eligible costs, the maximum financial contribution allowable, methods of payment and the annual priority objectives of the Research Programme.

3. The Commission shall establish an information package setting out the detailed rules for participation, the methods of managing proposals and projects, application forms (including instructions for the completion thereof), rules for the submission of proposals, model grant agreements, eligible costs, the maximum financial contribution allowable, methods of payment and the annual priority objectives of the Research Programme.