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FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT

for scientific and technical cooperation between the European Communities and the Republic of Iceland

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, acting on behalf of the European Economic Community, and

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, acting on behalf of the European Atomic Energy Community, hereinafter called 'the Commission',

of the one part,

THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ICELAND, acting on behalf of the Republic of Iceland, hereinafter called 'Iceland',

of the other part,

both hereinafter called the 'Contracting Parties',

WHEREAS, without prejudice to the relevant provisions of the Treaties establishing the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community, this Framework Agreement and any activities entered into under it will in no way affect the powers vested in the Member States of the European Communities to undertake bilateral activities with Iceland in the field of science, technology, research and development and to conclude, where appropriate, agreements to that end;

CONSIDERING the importance of scientific and technical research for Iceland and the European Communities, hereinafter called 'the Communities', and their mutual interest in cooperation in this field in order to better utilize resources and avoid wasteful duplications;

WHEREAS, on the occasion of the meeting in Luxembourg on 9 April 1984, the Ministers of the Member States of the Communities, the Ministers of the Member States of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the Commission considered that the growing economic interdependence between the Communities and the EFTA countries justifies, in particular, cooperation in the field of research and development and stressed the necessity of increasing these efforts, in particular with the aim of promoting mobility of researches; whereas, in addition, the Ministers wished that particular attention should be paid to certain industrial and technical fields of the future;

WHEREAS Iceland and the European Economic Community cooperate in the framework of a COST project (Cooperation in the field of scientific and technical research), and whereas they intend to continue their involvement in this project;

WHEREAS Iceland and the Communities are pursuing research programmes in areas of common interest;

WHEREAS Iceland and the Communities have an interest in cooperation within the framework of these programmes;

WHEREAS, in order to achieve this, it is desirable to establish a framework encompassing the total cooperation between Iceland and the Communities in the field of research, with which organizations and private enterprises could be associated; whereas, in addition, this framework should provide simple and efficient procedures and be dynamic in character,

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

A. Objective of the Agreement

Article 1

This Agreement defines a framework for the development of scientific and technical cooperation between Iceland and the Communities in fields of common interest which are the subject of research and development programmes of the Contracting Parties.

Article 2

The cooperation may be carried out by public or private organizations and undertakings participating in the research programmes in Iceland and the Communities referred to in Article 1.

Article 3

The cooperation may take the following forms:

- regular exchanges of views on the direction and priorities of research policies and planning in Iceland and the Communities,

- exchanges of views on the prospects and on the development of cooperation, - transmission of information resulting from the cooperation provided by this Agreement,

- cooperation of programmes and projects carried out in Iceland and in the Communities,

- participation in joint programmes or subprogrammes and the carrying out of joint actions in Iceland and in the Communities.

Article 4

The cooperation may be implemented in the following ways:

- joint meetings,

- visits and exchanges of researches, engineers and technical staff,

- regular contacts between programmes or project planners and managers,

- participation by experts in seminars, symposia and workshops,

- participation in joint programmes or subprogrammes and joint actions,

- availability of documents and communication of the results of work carried out in the framework of the cooperation.

Article 5

The cooperation may be adapted and developed at any time by common agreement of the Contracting Parties.

B. Implementation of the cooperation

Article 6

The cooperation covered by this Agreement shall be carried out through appropriate agreements.

Article 7

The agreements referred to in Article 6 shall specify the form of, and arrangements for, cooperation in each case, as well as:

- objectives of scientific and technical content,

- rules concerning dissemination of knowledge and intellectual property,

- provisions concerning staff and mobility and the participation of one Contracting Party's representatives in the organizations of the other Party,

- procedure for financial participation in agreements,

- any other appropriate procedures.

Article 8

The agreements referred to in Article 6 shall be concluded in accordance with the procedures in force for each Contracting Party.

Article 9

The Contracting Parties shall communicate to each other the names of the organizations and undertakings, referred to in Article 2, taking part in the cooperation.

C. Joint committee

Article 10

A joint committee called the 'Iceland/Communities Research Committee' shall be set up to:

- identify likely areas of cooperation and examine may measures to improve and develop the cooperation,

- carry out regular exchanges of views on the direction and priorities of research policies and planning in Iceland and the Communities and on cooperation prospects,

- seek to ensure the proper execution of this Agreement.

Article 11

The joint committee, composed of representatives of the Commission and Iceland, shall adopt its own rules of procedure.

It shall meet at the request of any of the Contracting Parties, and at least once a year.

D. Final provisions

Article 12

This Agreement shall be approved by the Contracting Parties in accordance with their existing procedures. It shall enter into force on the date on which the Contracting Parties have notified each other of the completion of the procedures necessary for this purpose.

Article 13

This Agreement shall apply, on the one hand, to the territories in which the Treaties establishing the European Economic Communities and the European Atomic Energy Community are applied and under the conditions laid down in those Treaties and, on the other hand, to the territory of the Republic of Iceland.

Article 14

This Agreement shall be of an indefinite duration. Each Contracting Party shall be able at any time to denounce this Agreement or request a review thereof subject to 12 months' notice. Article 15

This Agreement shall be drawn up in duplicate in the Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Icelandic languages, each of these texts being equally authentic.

Done at Brussels, 30 October 1989.

1.2 // For the Council and the Commission of the European Communities // For the Republic of Iceland // J. VIDAL Frans ANDRIESSEN // Jón Baldvin HANNIBALSSON