NoC40/22 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 17.2.92
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDecisionconcerningtheConclusionofaMultilateral
CooperationAgreement'Community-EuropeanCooperationintheFieldofScientificand
TechnicalResearch(COST)'onFiveConcertedActionProjectsintheFieldofResearchin
Biotechnology (Bridgeprogramme )betweentheEuropeanEconomicCommunityandCOST
ThirdStates(!)
(92/C40/12)
On2September1991theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle130Q(2)oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity ,on
theabovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforEnergy,NuclearQuestionsandResearch,whichwasresponsibleforpreparing
theCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon8November1991.The
RapporteurworkingalonewasMrVelascoMancebo.
Atits291stplenarysession(meetingof27November1991),theEconomicandSocial
CommitteeadoptedthefollowingOpinionbyaunanimousvote.
1.Introduction
1.1.Aspecificresearchandtechnologicaldevelop­
mentprogrammeinthefieldofbiotechnology (1990­
1994)(Bridge)wasadoptedbyaDecisionoftheCouncil
of27November1989(^).
1.2.Article8ofthisDecisionauthorizestheCom­
mission,inaccordancewithArticle130Nofthe
Treaty,tonegotiateagreementsinparticularwith
countriesinvolvedinEuropeanCooperationintheField
ofScientificandTechnicalResearch(COST),witha
viewtotheirbeingwhollyorpartlyinvolvedinthe
programme .
1.3.COSTwasinstitutedin1971.Itistheoldest
vehicleforthepursuitbytheCommunityandother
Europeancountriesofconcerted-action scienceand
technologyresearchprojectswhichareofmutualinter­
estfortheparticipatingcountries.
1.4.COSTisinparticularcomplementary tobilat­
eralcooperationbetweentheCommunityandcountries
oftheEuropeanFreeTradeAssociation (EFTA)under
frameworkagreementsonscientificandtechnology
cooperation .ThemaindifferenceisthatCOSTpro­
videsforadhocparticipationintheactionsselected.
1.5.ApartfromthetwelveECMemberStates,seven
othercountriesareinvolvedincooperation :fiveof
thesevenMemberStatesofEFTA(Austria,Finland,
Norway,SwedenandSwitzerland),alongwithTurkey
andYugoslavia .
1.6.Iceland,togetherwiththreecountriesofcentral
andeasternEurope(Poland,HungaryandCzechoslo­
vakia),whichcurrentlyhaveobserverstatus,willbecomefully-fledgedmembersofCOSTattheMinis­
terialConferenceofparticipantcountriesinNovember
1991.
1.7.Thefiveconcertedactionsofthecooperation
agreementcoveredbythepresentdraftDecisionare
explicitlyprovidedforintheCouncilDecisiononthe
Bridgeprogramme .Annex1ofthelatterCouncil
Decisionliststhefiveresearchtopicswhicharetobe
coveredbythefiveconcertedactions,andwhichare
specifiedinAnnexAtothecooperationagreement :
—aquaticprimarybiomass,
—invitroculturesforthepurificationandpropa­
gationofplants,
—methodsforearlydetectionandidentificationof
plantdiseases,
—vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae ,
—vaccinesagainstcoccidiosis .
1.8.TheCouncilDecisionontheBridgeprogramme
providesforaECU2millionCommunitycontribution
towardsimplementation ofthefiveconcertedaction
projects,theworkinvolvingtheorganizationofmeet­
ings,theconsultationofexperts,publications,the
exchangeoflaboratoryresearchersandcoordination
contracts .
1.9.Thecooperationagreement,whichisattached
tothedraftDecision,alsoprovides,inparticular,for:
—afinancialcontribution fromCOSTnon-Member
Statesparticipatingintheconcertedactionprojects;
thecontribution ,whichwillcovercoordination
expenditure,willbeECU34000pernon-Member
Stateandperconcertedactionproject.Therules
governingthefinancingofthisAgreementareset
outintheAnnex,HOJNoC224,29.8.1991,p.16.
(2)OJNoL360,9.12.1989,p.32.

17.2.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC40/23
2.3.TheCommitteenotestheincreasingnumberof
actionsinitiatedunderCOSTsinceitsinceptionand
theCouncil'sextremelypositiveevaluationofthistype
ofcooperationinitsResolutionof20June1989con­
cerningCOSTandtheEuropeanCommunities (2).
2.4.TheCommitteeneverthelessdeploresthefailure
tosendinanassessmentreportenablingittomakea
properlyinformedevaluationoftheadvantagesofthis
typeofcooperation,whicharewidelyunknown.
2.5.TheCommitteeurgestheCommissiontotake
allappropriatestepstoprovidemaximuminformation
onactionsundertakenunderCOSTandtheirresults.—theestablishment ofaCooperationCommitteeto
assisttheCommissionintheimplementation of
concertedactionprojects;thisCommitteewillcon­
sistofrepresentatives oftheCommunityandthe
participatingnon-MemberStates,
—theexchangeofinformationresultingfromthecar­
ryingoutoftheresearchcoveredbytheconcerted
actionprojects,
—thepublicationofreportsontheresultsofthe
concertedactionprogrammes ,
—theconditionsandrulesforparticipating incon­
certedactionprojects,
—theconditionsgoverningtherenegotiation ,renewal
ordenunciationoftheagreement .
2.Comments
2.1.TheCommitteeOpinionof26April1989on
theBridgeprogramme endorsedthefiveCOST
actions,andmoregenerally,theextensionofthepro­
gramme(asthenproposed)tootherEuropean
countries .
2.2.TheCommitteereiteratesitsendorsementofthe
actionscoveredbytheagreementunderreview,which
aredesignedtoensurecoordinationofactivitiesof
researchandtechnologicaldevelopment (R&TD)inthe
CommunityandtheCOSTnon-ECStateswhichare
partytotheagreement .
(J)OJNoC159,26.6.1989,p.26.2.6.Withmorespecificregardtothecooperation
agreementunderreview,theCommitteereiteratesthe
importancewhichitattachestotheethicalandsocial
implicationsofbiotechnologyresearch.TheCommittee
thereforeurgesthat,inconnectionwitheachconcerted
actioncoveredbythecooperationagreement,anevalu­
ationbemadeofthesocial,ethicalandenvironmental
impactofresearchbytheparticipantcountriesinthe
fivefieldsconcerned .
(2)OJNoC171,6.7.1989,p.1.
DoneatBrussels,27November1991.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
FrancoisSTAEDELIN