EU and US extend scientific cooperation agreement and look towards economic integration

Brussels, 11 Oct 2004

The EU and the US have extended their Scientific and Technological Cooperation Agreement for five years, allowing the entities to carry out coordinated and joint research projects and to establish joint task forces.

The sectors covered by the agreement include environmental, biomedicine and health research as well as non-nuclear energy, telematics, science and technology policy and the management, training and mobility of scientists.

A Joint Consultative Group has been established in order to oversee cooperation under the agreement. Over 700 joint research projects have already been proposed under the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6), according to the European Commission.

Visibility of the agreement is expected to be enhanced following the recommendations of an independent panel of experts that carried out an impact assessment on the previous agreement in 2003.

The European Commission is also taking concrete action to enhance EU-US economic integration. Leaders of both parties called on stakeholders to 'engage in a vigorous discussion of concrete ideas on how to further transatlantic economic integration to the fullest, spur innovation and job creation and better realise the competitive potential of our economies and enterprises' at the last EU-US summit in June 2004.

For its part, the Commission has reacted to this appeal by launching a public consultation on how the give the relationship a fresh impetus. As part of the process, the Commission will hold a meeting on 22 October at which stakeholders will be invited to explore options for ending trade, regulatory and investment barriers to EU-US economic integration.

For further information on the stakeholders' meeting, please contact the European Commission:
E-mail: relex-stakeholders@cec.eu.int

CORDIS RTD-NEWS / © European Communities
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