100. Believes that this undermines the credibility of the battlegroups as an instrument and of the CSDP in general, since they could already have been deployed; encourages the Member States to remain mobilised and to meet their commitments in respect of this instrument, bearing in mind that, given the financial and manpower investment in the battlegroups, their lack of use in the face of several windows of opportunity has become a liability;

98. Believes that this undermines the credibility of the battlegroups as an instrument and of the CSDP in general, since they could already have been deployed; encourages the Member States to remain mobilised and to meet their commitments in respect of this instrument, bearing in mind that, given the financial and manpower investment in the battlegroups, their lack of use in the face of several windows of opportunity has become a liability;

The Battlegroups contribute to increasing interoperability and political cohesion among Member States, and remain a vehicle for the transformation of the Member States' armed forces.

The first breakthrough in the international negotiations occurred in February 2009 when the USA reversed its position and became in favour of a global legally binding instrument on mercury.

‘navaid equipment’ means a physical navaid equipment placed on the Earth surface, like Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Radio Range (VOR), Distance Measuring Equipment (DME), localizer, Tactical Air Navigation Beacon (TACAN) etc., which help in guiding aircraft traffic safely through existing air routes,

To tackle the serious problems resulting from the lack of coordination at different levels, and to avoid the dangers of continuing to manage the research and technological innovation process via insufficiently integrated policies when these should be focused on the rapid transformation of scientific break-throughs into job-creating industrial and commercial successes, the Committee lists in its Opinions a number of recommendations, and in particular: - the need to reform bodies implementing Community RTD programmes and to simplify the administrative organization of such programmes; - the need to make coordination part and parcel of the Community RTD framewo ...[+++]rk by creating networks for systematic exchange of information and "tableaux de bord" on national and Community research actions; - the need to develop a flexible, interdisplinary approach in the light of the fifth framework programme; - the need to create a single European market for innovation by eliminating the present segmentation; - the need to promote a coordinated European environment in respect of national tax incentives for intangible investment and for innovation, especially in SMEs; - the need to stimulate the further intertwining of research and industry within the framework of new and more sophisticated machinery and a favourable legal and regulatory framework; - the need to develop international cooperation through the advance, systematic coordination of activities carried out by the Member States and by the European Union; - the need to reinforce coordination between the research/technological innovation policy and other Community policies, ensuring greater consistency between them.