NoC40/24 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 17.2.92
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDecisionconcerningtheConclusionofaMultilateral
CooperationAgreement'Community-EuropeanCooperationintheFieldofScientificand
TechnicalResearch(COST)'onElevenConcertedActionProjectsintheFieldofFoodScience
andTechnology (Flairprogramme )betweentheEuropeanEconomicCommunityandCOST
ThirdStatesf1)
(92/C40/13)
On2September1991theCouncil,actinginpursuanceofArticle130Q(2)oftheTreaty
establishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunityaskedtheEconomicandSocialCommittee
foranOpinionontheabovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforEnergy,NuclearQuestionsandResearch,whichwasresponsibleforthe
preparatorywork,adopteditsOpinionon8November1991.TheRapporteurworkingalone
wasMrVelascoMancebo .
Atits291stplenarysession(meetingof27November1991),theEconomicandSocial
CommitteeadoptedthefollowingOpinionbyaunanimousvote.
1.7.AswellasthetwelveMemberStatesofthe
Community ,seventhirdcountriesarepartiestothis
cooperation :fiveofthesevenEFTAmembercountries
(Austria,Finland,Norway,SwedenandSwitzerland),
plusTurkeyandYugoslavia .
1.8.Iceland,togetherwiththreecountriesofcentral
andeasternEurope,Poland,HungaryandCzechoslo­
vakia,whichatpresenthaveobserverstatus,will
becomefullmembersofCOSTattheministerialconfer­
enceofparticipatingcountriesinNovember1991.
1.9.Thecooperationagreementwhichisthesubject
ofthedraftCouncilDecisionunderreviewcovers
elevenconcertedactionprojectsdesignedtocoordinate
researchandtechnological development (R&TD)
activitiesintheECandinnon-ECStateswhichare
membersofCOST.1.Introduction
1.1.Thespecificresearchandtechnologicaldevelop­
mentprogrammeinthefieldoffoodscienceandtech­
nology(1989-1993)(Flair)wasadoptedbyaCouncil
Decisionof20June1989(2).
1.2.Article3oftheCouncilDecisionlaysdownthat
theprogrammeistobecarriedoutintheformof
concertedandshared-costactionsandtrainingand
mobilitygrants.
1.3.Itisalsostipulatedthatparticipation inthe
concertedactionprojects—designedtocoordinate
researchatnationallevel—shallbeopennotonlytoall
ECMemberStatesbutalsotootherspecifiedStates,
includingCOSTparticipatingStates.
1.4.Article7oftheDecisionauthorizestheCom­
missiontonegotiate,inaccordancewithArticle130N
oftheEECTreaty,cooperationagreementswitha
numberoforganizationsandcountries,includingthe
COSTparticipatingStates.
1.5.COSTwasestablishedin1971.Itprovidesa
frameworkforcooperationbetweentheECMember
Statesandnon-ECEuropeanStateswithregardtothe
implementation ofresearchprojectsinscientificand
technicalfieldsofmutualinteresttotheparticipating
countries.Itwasthefirstsuchframeworktobeestab­
lished.
1.6.TheCOSTschemecomplements ,inparticular,
bilateralcooperationbetweentheECandStatesof
theEuropeanFreeTradeAssociation (EFTA)under
frameworkagreementscoveringscientificandtechnical
cooperation .COSTdiffersfromthesebilateralagree­
mentsinparticularinthat,undertheCOSTscheme,
Statesmayparticipateinselectedactionprojectsonan
'alacarte'basis.1.10.Theresearchtopicscoveredbytheactionpro­
jects,whicharelistedinAnnexAtothedraftCouncil
Decision,areasfollows:
—spectroscopictechniques[NearInfrared(NIR),Fou­
rierTransformInfrared(FTIR),NuclearMagnetic
Resonance (NMR)]fortherapiddirectmeasure­
mentoffoodquality,
—relatingsensory,instrumentalandconsumerchoice
studies,
—predictivemodellingofmicrobialgrowthandsur­
vivalinfoods,
—preventionandcontrolofpotentiallypathogenic
microorganisms inpoultryandpoultrymeatpro­
cessing,
—foodsafetyandqualitybasedontheapplicationof
combinedprocessesandHazardAnalysisCritical
ControlPoint(HACCP),(!)OJNoC224,29.8.1991,p.5.
(2)OJNoL200,13.7.1989,p.18.

17.2.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunitiesNoC40/25
2.Comments
2.1.TheCommitteeendorsesthedraftDecision.
IntheCommittee'sviewtheimplementation ofthe
proposedcooperationagreementwillnotonlyfurther
thedevelopmentofaEuropeanscientificandtechnical
areaextendingbeyondthefrontiersoftheECbutit
willalsopromotetheinterestsofconsumersbyenhanc­
ingthequalityandsafetyoffoodproducts.
2.2.TheCommitteeconsidersthattheconstantly
increasingleveloftradeinagri-foodproductsbetween
theECandnon-ECEuropeanStatesmustbebacked
upbyavigorouspolicyaimedatimprovingpublic
healthandstrengtheningconsumerprotectionanda
sustainedefforttoachievethesegoals.
2.3.InthiscontexttheCommitteesharestheCom­
mission'sviewthat'mutualbenefitshallbederived
fromcoordination ofnationalresearchviaconcerted
actionprojectsintherelevantsectors,andutilization
ofspecializedskillsandcapabilitiesdisseminated
throughoutEurope'.
2.4.Asregardstheproposedcooperationagreement
itself,theCommitteecallsforprovisiontobemade,in
respectofeachoftheconcertedactionprojects,for
appraisalsofthesocial,humanandeconomicconse­
quencesoftheresearchcarriedoutintheparticipating
Statesintheelevenfieldsconcerned,togetherwith
appraisalsofanytechnologicalhazardsinvolvedinsuch
research.
2.5.Asregardsthedisseminationofinformationon
cooperationundertheCOSTscheme,theresultsof
COSTconcertedactionprojectsandtheassessmentof
theseresults,theCommitteewouldrefertothecom­
mentssetoutinitsparallelOpiniononthedraft
CouncilDecisionontheconclusionofasimilaragree­
mentinthefieldofbiotechnology (1).—invitrotoxicologicalstudiesandreal-timeanalysis
ofresiduesinfood,
—improvementoffoodsafetyandqualitythroughthe
useofinteractiveandcompetitivebindingsoffood
lectinsandbacterialadhesionsinthegut,
—measurement ofmicronutrient absorptionand
status,
—physiologicalimplicationoftheconsumptionof
resistantstarchinman,
—improvementofthequalityandcompatibilityof
foodconsumptionandfoodcompositiondatain
Europe,
—informationflowonfoodtechnology,foodsafety
andhealthyeating,forsmallandmedium-sized
enterprisesandconsumers (Flair-FLOWproject).
1.10.1.Thecooperationagreementattachedtothe
draftDecisionalsoprovides,amongotherthings,for:
—afinancialcontributionbytheCommunityandthe
thirdcountrieswhicharemembersofCOSTand
takepartintheprojects;theamountofeachcontri­
butionisspecifiedinArticle2oftheAgreement;
therulesgoverningthefinancingoftheAgreement
aresetoutinAnnexB,
—theestablishment ofaCooperationCommitteeto
assisttheCommissionintheimplementation ofthe
concertedactionprojects;thisCommitteewould
consistofrepresentatives oftheCommissionandof
theparticipatingthirdStates,
—exchangeofinformationresultingfromthe
implementation oftheresearchcoveredbythecon­
certedactionprojects,
—publicationofreportsontheresultsoftheconcerted
actionprojects,
—conditionsandproceduresforparticipationinthe
concertedactionprojects,
—conditionsforrenegotiation ,renewalanddenunci­
ationoftheAgreement . 0)OJNoC224,29.8.1991,p.16.
DoneatBrussels,27November1991.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
FrancoisSTAEDELIN