7. 3. 90 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 56/11 
Opinion on the five proposals for Council Decisions concerning the conclusion of cooperation 
agreements between the European Economic Community and the Republic of Austria, the 
Kingdom of Norway, the Swiss Confederation, the Republic of Finland and the Kingdom of 
Sweden in the field of medical and health research (l) 
(90/C 56/03) 
On 14 August 1989 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, 
under Article 130q of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, on the 
following proposals: 
— proposal for a Council Decision concerning the conclusion of a Cooperation Agreement 
between the European Economic Community and the Republic of Austria in the field of 
medical and health research, 
— proposal for a Council Decision concerning the conclusion of a Cooperation Agreement 
between the European Economic Community and the Kingdom of Norway in the field 
of medical and health research, 
— proposal for a Council Decision concerning the conclusion of a Cooperation Agreement 
between the European Economic Community and the Swiss Confederation in the field 
of medical and health research, 
— proposal for a Council Decision concerning the conclusion of a Cooperation Agreement 
between the European Economic Community and the Republic of Finland in the field of 
medical and health research, 
— proposal for a Council Decision concerning the conclusion of a Cooperation Agreement 
between the European Economic Community and the Kingdom of Sweden in the field of 
medical and health research. 
The Section for Protection of the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Affairs, which 
was responsible for preparing the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 
31 October 1989. The rapporteur was Mrs Tiemann. 
At its 271st plenary session (meeting of 15 November 1989), the Economic and Social 
Committee adopted the following opinion by a large majority with one vote against. 
1. General comments 
1.1. Article 7 of the Council Decision adopting a 
research and development programme of the Com­
munity in the field of medical and health research 
(1987 to 1991) authorizes the Commission to negotiate 
agreements with non-Member States with a view to 
involving them in the programme. The proposals for 
cooperation agreements with the EFTA countries are 
based on this provision. 
1.2. The research and development programme has 
been running all in all since 1978. In its opinion on the 
phase 1987 tot 1989 (2) the Committee noted that the 
three previous coordination programmes had been suc­
cessful in strengthening and integrating European 
research. This applies in particular to cancer and AIDS 
research. 
The interest of the EFTA countries in cooperation is 
further confirmation of the success of the research 
programme. 2. Need for cooperation 
2.1. Medical research cannot halt at the frontiers of 
the Community. Its scientific basis needs to be broad­
ened through coordination with research in other 
countries. The international cooperation within the 
World Health Organization is not enough. 
2.2. Cooperation with the EFTA countries cannot 
but be urgently recommended. 
It will enable the R&D activities in progress in those 
countries to be utilized for the Community programme. 
Furthermore, such cooperation will be in keeping with 
the Community's efforts to generally intensify cooper­
ation with the EFTA countries and structure this coop­
eration to a greater degree. 
2.3. Apart from the costs of coordination, there will 
be no additional costs for the Community. On the 
contrary, it will be possible to increase the funding for 
research. 
ix) OJ No C 251, 4. 10. 1989, p. 7. 2.4. The conclusion of the cooperation agreements 
(2) OJ No L 199, 26. 7. 1988. should, however, be seen as an occasion to consider 
No C 56/12 Official Journal of the European Communities 7. 3. 90 
again the suggestions that the Committee opinion on 
the programme phase 1987 to 1989 put forward con­
cerning the main elements of the programme. 
2.5. In its opinion on the five proposals for Council 
Decisions concerning the conclusion of cooperation 
agreements between the European Economic Com­
munity and the Republic of Austria, the Kingdom of Norway, the Swiss Confederation, the Republic of Fin­
land and the Kingdom of Sweden on the Science Pro­
gramme, the Committee expressed a number of reser­
vations about the fact that arrangements for carrying 
out the programme were different for each country. The 
same reservations apply to the proposed cooperation 
agreements. The Section would emphasize the import­
ance of this. 
Done at Brussels, 15 November 1989. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Alberto MASPRONE 
Opinion on the proposal for a Council Regulation (EEC) amending Regulation (EEC) No 
727/70 on the common organization of the market in raw tobacco (*) 
(90/C 56/04) 
On 29 September 1989 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, 
under Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, on the 
abovementioned proposal. 
The Section for Agriculture and Fisheries, which was responsible for preparing the Com­
mittee's work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 31 October 1989. The rapporteur was 
Mr Bazianas. 
At its 271st plenary session on 15 and 16 November 1989 (meeting of 15 November 1989) 
the Economic and Social Committee unanimously adopted the following opinion. 
The Committee endorses the Commission proposal to amend Article 12 a (la) of Regulation 
(EEC) No 727/70 so that from 1 January 1989, where an undertaking engaged in the first 
processing and market preparation of tobacco offers for intervention, for a period of three 
consecutive years, quantities of baled tobacco exceeding 15 % or more of the equivalent of 
the quantities of Community-grown leaf tobacco treated by that undertaking (of Community 
origin, as laid down in Regulation (EEC) No 2267/88) (2), all quantities offered for intervention 
in the following year by the latter shall be bought in by the intervention agengy at a derived 
intervention price minus 10%. That price shall be adjusted, where appropriate, by the scale 
of price increases and reductions provided for in Article 6 (7). 
Done at Brussels, 15 November 1989. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Alberto MASPRONE 
(!) OJ No C 223, 30. 8. 1989. 
(2) OJNoC 105,21.4. 1987.