Brussels, March 2002
The European Commission has proposed a scientific and technological cooperation agreement with Chile.
The agreement, which the Commission proposes to last for an initial period of five years (renewable), follows the February 1999 framework cooperation agreement between the two parties, which highlighted cooperation in science and technology as an area of particular interest.
As well as providing for participation by Chilean researchers in EU Framework programme projects, the agreement allows reciprocal participation by EU researchers in Chilean research projects. In addition, the Commission is proposing the pooling of joint research projects already implemented, joint RTD (research and technological development) visits and exchanges between scientists and technical experts, as well as public, university and private specialists in the field of design and application of scientific and technological policies.
Under the agreement, joint seminars, conferences and symposia will be organised, scientific networks supported and researchers trained, and concerted actions will be taken to ensure the dissemination of results from joint projects. The exchanges will ensure the sharing of information on practices, laws, regulations and programmes relevant to cooperation.
Explaining the arrangement, the draft agreement emphasises that both parties will benefit from closer cooperation 'considering that the Community and Chile are carrying out research and technological development activities, including demonstration projects [...] in a number of areas of common interest, and that mutual benefits may be derived from the participation of one party in the research and development of the other based on the reciprocity criteria.'
Ensuring that the benefits are equal to both parties, cooperative activities will be conducted on the basis of mutual benefit on an overall balance of advantages, reciprocal access to the activities of research and technological development undertaken by each party, timely exchange of information which may affect cooperative activities and appropriate protection of intellectual property rights. The agreement will not affect the participation by Chile, as a developing country, in Community research programmes.
The agreement will be managed by a steering committee, whose task it will be to promote and oversee cooperative activities, to indicate areas of interest in which cooperation is sought for the following year, to propose to scientists from both the EU and Chile that they pool their projects which would be of mutual benefit and are complementary, and to provide an annual report on the status, the level reached and the effectiveness of cooperation undertaken under the agreement.
To see the full proposal, please see proposal COM (2002) 0151 in Netscape at the following web address: http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/com/ava ilability/en_availability_2002_4.html