L 201/58 Official Journal of the European Union 30.7.2008 DECISION No 743/2008/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 9 July 2008 on the Community’s participation in a research and development programme undertaken by several Member States aimed at supporting research and development performing small and medium-sized enterprises (Text with EEA relevance) THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Articles 169 and 172, second paragraph, thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (1), Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty (9, Whereas: Decision No 1982/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) (}) (here- inafter referred to as the Seventh Framework Programme) provides for Community participation in research and development programmes undertaken by several Member States, including participation in the structures  created for the execution of those programmes, within the meaning of Article 169 of the Treaty. The Seventh Framework Programme has defined a series of criteria for the identification of areas for such Article 169 initiatives: the relevance to Community objectives, the clear definition of the objective to be pursued and its relevance to the objectives of the Seventh Framework Programme, the presence of a pre- (1) Opinion of 29 May 2008 (not yet published in the Official Journal). (%) Opinion of the European Parliament of 10 April 2008 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and Council Decision of 23 June 2008. () O] L 412, 30.12.2006, p. 1. () existing basis (existing or envisaged national research programmes), European added value, a critical mass with regard to the size and number of programmes involved and the similarity of activities they cover, and the efficiency of Article 169 of the Treaty as the most appropriate means for achieving the objectives. Council Decision 2006/974/EC of 19 December 2006 on the Specific Programme ‘Capacities’ implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) (*) (here- inafter referred to as the Specific Programme ‘Capacities’) identifies an Article 169 initiative in the field of Research Performing Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) as one of the fields suitable for Community participation in national research programmes jointly implemented on the basis of Article 169 of the Treaty. In its conclusions of 24 September 2004, the Council recognised the important role of the Seventh Framework Programme in furthering the development of the European Research Area (ERA), and in this context stressed the importance of reinforcing the ties between the ERA and European intergovernmental organisations, such as Eureka. In its conclusions of 25 and 26 November 2004, the Council stressed the importance of SMEs for European growth and competitiveness and thus the need for Member States and the Commission to enhance the effec- tiveness and complementarity of national and European support programmes for SMEs. It encouraged the Commission to explore the possible development of a bottom-up scheme for research-performing SMEs. The Council recalled the importance of coordinating national programmes for the development of the ERA. The Council invited Member States and the Commission to cooperate closely in identifying a limited number of areas for further application of Article 169 of the Treaty. The Council invited the Commission to further develop cooperation and coordination between the Communities and the activities carried out in the framework of inter- governmental structures, notably with Eureka, recalling the Eureka Ministerial Conference of 18 June 2004. (*) OJ L 400, 30.12.2006, p. 299, as corrected by OJ L 54, 22.2.2007, p. 101.