Mission
To implement the recommendations of the Vision "Safety for Sustainable European Industry Growth" of the European Technology Platform on Industrial Safety at national level by deepening co-operation between Member States and European Activities on technical and non-technical matters related to the Technology Platform.
This must be done with a view to promoting a European Research Area, facilitating public/private partnerships, removing national barriers to commercial exploitation and contributing to the realisation of a coherent European policy framework.
Main objectives
- Ensure an appropriate interface for co-ordination and the representation (or inclusion) of relevant national, regional or local initiatives and activities under the technology platform.
- Provide representation and input to the Management Board and Focus Groups from a national, regional or local perspective.
- Advance the European Research Area by initiating activities for closer coordination and co-operation between national and regional programs, under the orientations provided by the technology platform.
Role and tasks
The Member State Mirror Group, acting in co-operation with the platform Management Board and its Governing Board has a crucial role to play in goal and target setting, proposing actions and providing opinion and feedback on strategies, activities and results generated through the platform operations. It will address the following activities:
- Providing opinion and advice: Provide information and advice on a periodic voluntary basis to the Management Board on policies and programs in the Member States, including Associated States and Candidate countries that are relevant to realising the goals and deliverables of the technology platform.
- Promoting an enhanced co-operation and co-ordination among Member States and European activities: Explore mechanisms for developing synergies and reinforce the co-operation among national initiatives, programs and projects, including information exchange, co-ordination in program development and possibly joint implementation of programs and initiatives.
- Structuring and strategy development: Contribute to building a coherent EU strategy on research and deployment and exploring possible mechanisms for achieving greater integration, such as Article 169 or other instruments of the EU treaties.
- Scoping activities and target setting: Propose actions to the Management Board relevant to concerns of Member States. Work with the Management Board to set goals and targets; provide reflection on overall European goal and target setting, having regard to national aspirations and circumstances, including those relating to economics, demography, climate and geography.
- Closing the loop between technology development and policy-making: Identify mechanisms and develop suitable links with economic, energy, transport and environment policy to promote understanding and awareness of technology developments and to establish agreed criteria for proving cost-effectiveness of these technologies to meet policy objectives.
- Act as an informal moderating body: Representing collectively and individually the interests and views of the Member States; and their respective regions and cities, provide responses to the recommendations and actions of the Management Board and assist in the dissemination of results of Focus Groups.
- Promoting public/private partnerships and “flagship” projects: Identify interlocutors in Member States, including cities and regions, to develop dialogue, inform and stimulate activities leading to definition of prestigious “flagship” demonstration projects based on public/private partnerships and demonstrating the potential of industrial safety systems for utilities and consumer applications; acting together to develop common technology procurement programmes will provide leverage on public funding, and provide a sound basis for future industrial investment; exploring possible opportunities to showcase technologies in regional development projects.
Membership and rules for participation
Participants in the Mirror Group are Member States, Associated Candidate Countries and Associated States of the research Framework Programme having an interest in the development of industrial safety. Additional participation from Regions or large
Cities having ambitious integrated initiatives may be considered. Transnational organisations can participate in the Mirror Group provided that the individual countries, which belong to them, do not raise any objections.
The delegation of each Member State will be considered to be one Group member.
Each Group member decides on the composition of its delegation and informs the group Secretary and the Chairperson. Each member of the Group will have a leader who can be accompanied by other delegates for those agenda items where their specific expertise is required. These additional delegates can attend the meetings and participate in the discussions and deliberations but cannot take part in votes.
Chairman: Jürgen Lexow, BAM, GE