27.4.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC106/13
Opinion(1),issuedinparallelwiththepresentOpinion,
ontheproposalforaCouncilDecisiononthecon­
clusionofasimilarcooperationagreementwith
Sweden(2).2.Observations
2.1.TheCommitteeendorsestheproposalfora
CouncilDecision .
2.2.Furthermore ,theCommitteewouldrefertothe
observationssetoutinpoints2.2to2.5ofits
DoneatBrussels,25March1992.(')Doc.ESC359/92.
(2)OJNoC316,6.12.1991,p.10.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
MichaelGEUENICH
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDecisionconcerningtheconclusionofaCooperation
AgreementbetweentheEuropeanEconomicCommunityandtheKingdomofSwedenona
researchandtechnologicaldevelopment (R&TD)programmeinthefieldsofrenewableraw
materials:forestryandwoodproducts(includingcork),'Forest'andtherecyclingofwaste,
'Reward'(*)
(92/C106/07)
On19December1991theCouncil,actinginpursuanceofArticle130Q(2)oftheTreaty
establishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,askedtheEconomicandSocialCommittee
foranOpinionontheabovementioned proposal.
TheCommitteeinstructeditsSectionforEnergy,NuclearQuestionsandResearchtoprepare
itsworkonthematter.TheSectiondrewupitsOpinionon4March1992.TheRapporteur
wasMrNoordwal .
Atits295thPlenarySessionheldon25and26March1992(meetingof25March)the
CommitteeadoptedthefollowingOpinionbyaunanimousvote.
1.Introduction
1.1.ByitsDecisionof20November1989(2)the
Counciladopteda'specificresearchandtechnological
developmentprogrammeoftheEuropeanEconomic
Communityinthefieldsofrawmaterialsandrecycling
(1990-1992)'.Theaimsofthisprogrammeare:
—toenhancethecompetitivepositionoftheCom­
munity'sindustriesinvolvedwithrawmaterialsand
recycling,
—toencouragetransfrontiercollaboration instrategic
industrialresearch,
—toencouragethetransferoftechnologybetween
MemberStatesandbetweensectors,particularly
thosewithapredominance ofsmallandmedium­
sizedenterprises,
—topromoteoverallscientificexcellenceinthefieldofrawmaterialsandrecycling,therebypromoting
economicandsocialcohesionintheCommunity .
1.2.TheCommunity'sprogrammecomprisesfour
sub-programmes withatotalbudgetofECU45million
allocatedasfollows(ECUmillion):
1.primaryrawmaterials :21,
2.recyclingofnon-ferrousandstrategicmetals:6,
3.renewablerawmaterials[forestryandwoodprod­
ucts(includingcork)](Forest):12,
4.recyclingofvvasie(Reward):6.
1.3.Article8oftheCouncilDecisionauthorizedthe
Commissiontonegotiate,inaccordancewithArticle
130NoftheTreaty,agreementswith,amongothers,
non-ECEuropeancountrieshavingconcludedframe­
workagreementsinscientificandtechnicalcooperation
withtheCommunity,withaviewtotheirbeingassoci­(MOJNoC316,6.12.1991,p.10.
(2)OJNoL3.59,8.12.1989,p.16.

NoC106/14 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 27.4.92
2.2.TheCommitteegaveoverallapprovaltothe
specificresearchandtechnological development
(R&TD)programmeinthefieldsofrawmaterials
andrecyclinginitsOpinionissuedon26April1989(2).
2.3.TheCommitteedid,however,criticisethepro­
posedindicativeallocationofappropriations between
sub-programmes —theemphasishadbeenplacedon
primaryrawmaterialsandalmosthalfofthebudget
fortheprogrammeasawholewastobeallocated
exclusivelytoresearchinthatfield.
2.4.TheCommitteeconsideredthat'theallocation
offunds[did]notreflecttheorderofprioritiesandthe
relativeimportanceofthevarioussub-programmes ,
giventheacuteenvironmental protectionproblemsand
theurgentneedtofindsolutionstotheproblems.The
Committeetherefore[called]forareductioninthe
fundingofthe'primaryrawmaterials'sub-programme
andtransferofthefundstherebyreleasedtotheother
threesub-programmes '.
2.5.ThepresentOpiniongivestheCommitteethe
opportunitystronglytodeplorethefactthatitsearlier
recommendation wasnotacteduponbytheCouncil,
whichendorsedtheindicativeallocationproposedby
theCommission .
2.6.TheCommitteealsodrewattentiontotheclose
linkbetweentheresearchworkcarriedoutunderthe
Rewardsub-programme andtheresearchonwaste
carriedoutundertheheading'Technologies for
Environmental Protection'oftheSTEPprogramme,
establishedbyCouncilDecisionof20November
1989(3).Inviewofthis,theCommitteehadurgedthe
Commissiontoensurethattheresearchprojectscarried
outunderthetwoabovementioned programmeswere
complementary 'sothatmaximumbenefit[could]be
obtainedfromthelimitedfundstobeallocatedtothe
Rewardsub-programme '.
2.7.FollowingtheCouncil'sdecision(4)toconclude
bilateralcooperationagreementsinrespectoftheSTEP
programmewithSweden,amongstothercountries,the
CommitteecallsupontheCommission,inparticular,
toensurethatthereisclosesynergybetweenthe
researchworkonwasterecyclingcarriedoutunderthe
twocooperationagreements .atedwiththeprogramme .Thecooperationagreements
are,however,onlyapplicabletothosepartsofthe
programmerelatingtorenewablerawmaterials,for­
estryandwoodproducts,andtherecyclingofwaste.
1.4.Suchaframeworkagreementhasbeencon­
cludedwithSwedeninaccordancewiththeCouncil
Decisionof9February1987(!).
1.5.Thepresentproposalforadecisionaimsto
securetheapprovalofthecooperationagreementnego­
tiatedbetweentheCommunityandSweden,witha
viewtoinvolvingthelatterintheForestandReward
sub-programmes .
1.6.Thedraftagreement,whichisappendedtothe
proposalforaCouncilDecision,covers:
—AfinancialcontributionfromSwedenforthefund­
ingof(a)theworktobecarriedoutintheframe­
workofresearchcontractsand(b)themanagement
andadministrative operatingexpenditureforthe
twoCommunitysub-programmes inquestion.This
financialcontribution ,amoutingtoECU681801,
isinproportiontotheGrossDomesticProductof
Sweden.(ECU454534isearmarkedfortheForest
sub-programme andECU227267fortheReward
sub-programme .)
—Theentitlementofpersonsandresearchbodies
fromSwedentosubmitresearchproposalsandto
concludecorresponding researchcontractswiththe
Commission .
—Theestablishment ofaCooperationCommittee
withrepresentatives fromtheCommunityand
Sweden,toensureproperimplementation ofthe
agreement,coordinationandtheexchangeofinfor­
mationonthedevelopmentoftheForestand
Rewardsub-programmes .TheCooperationCom­
mitteewilladoptitsownrulesofprocedure.
—Theconditionsforrenegotiatingorterminatingthe
agreement .
2.Observations
2.1.TheCommitteeendorsestheproposalfora
CouncilDecision,subjecttothefollowingobservations .
(MOJNoL71,14.3.1987,p.29.(2)OJNoC159,26.6.1989,p.31.
(3)OJNoL359,8.12.1989,p.9.
(4)OJNoL54,28.2.1992.
DoneatBrussels,25March1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
MichaelGEUENICH