The European Coordinator is responsible for implementing projects designed to develop the core network, and it is important that he or she should also promote projects involving the core network nodes situated close to a corridor.

That is why it is so vital to have the ability to draw clear distinctions in terms of the nature of support and projects, whether support is to be channelled towards networks or projects whose object is to strengthen infrastructure in need of consolidation, and for which established support systems are already in place, or towards capacity-building or research projects.

My call is for more research for neglected diseases and more support for care projects in developing countries.

In 2012, the project RARECARENET (Information Network on Rare Cancers)[46], which built upon some of previous activities of the Project RARECARE (Surveillance of Rare Cancers in Europe)[47] which provided estimations for incidence, survival, prevalence and mortality for all rare cancers. The project aims (i) to provide updated indicators of rare cancer burden, (ii) to collect and disseminate information on the health care pathways for rare cancers, (iii) to identify the criteria for centres of expertise for rare cancers, (iv) to produce and disseminate information on diagnosis and management of rare cancers, (v) to develop a clinical dat ...[+++]abase on very rare cancers, (vi) to provide new knowledge on these diseases and their clinical management, and (vii) to develop and disseminate information for patients including a list of patients’ associations dedicated to rare cancers. In 2013, the European Expert Paediatric Oncology Reference Network for Diagnostics and Treatment (ExPO-r-NeT), to support the provision of healthcare to children and young people with cancer in a Member State other than the Member State of affiliation, when the expertise with certain cancer conditions is rare and case volume low, contributing to provide cross-border best care to rare childhood cancer populations.

I am essentially talking about the services responsible for development cooperation, agriculture, regional development, the environment and technological research and development.

In response to a question I asked recently, Commissioner Nielson informed me that the Community had undertaken, with funding of EUR 421 million from the European Development Fund, 334 programmes, projects or actions to support the fisheries sector in these countries.