JRC launches scheme to prepare candidate countries for full participation in activities following enlargement

Brussels, 22 March 2002

The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) has launched a new scheme, involving workshops, training programmes and placements, aimed at encouraging collaboration between EU and candidate country scientists.

The focus of the workshops and training programmes will be reference methods and techniques currently employed to enforce EU legislation, the aim being to accelerate the uptake of scientific and technical aspects of EU legislation in the candidate countries, ready for accession. The scheme will also contribute to the common development of scientific and technical references for policymaking, one of the objectives of the European research area (ERA) through the networking of national organisations and increased mobility of scientific and technical staff.

The initiative also includes over 60 jobs for detached national experts and visiting scientists at JRC institutes for periods of three months or one year. The placements are intended for researchers working in research organisations and national enforcement laboratories, as well as senior scientists. The scheme is centred around seven priority areas: food, chemicals, environment, metrology, agriculture, nuclear safety and technology foresight.

It is expected that the programme will enable candidate countries to link up 150 scientific and technical networks formed by Member State organisations, involving 2000 individual research groups with which the JRC is presently collaborating.

The scheme is part of the JRC enlargement action, launched in 1999 to prepare for the full integration of the candidate countries in all JRC activities following enlargement. Following the launch of this action, the JRC is already collaborating with 60 research organisations in the candidate countries, and hosts 40 researchers in its institutes.

For further information, please consult the following web address: http://www.jrc.cec.eu.int/enlargement/training

CORDIS RTD-NEWS/© European Communities, 2001