6. 2. 91 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 31/37 
Opinion on five proposals for Council Decisions concerning the conclusion of cooperation 
agreements between the European Community and the Republic of Finland, the Kingdom of 
Sweden, the Kingdom of Norway, the Republic of Austria and the Swiss Confederation on 
a European Stimulation Plan for Economic Science (SPES) 
(91/C 31/11) 
On 6 June 1990 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under 
Article 130Q (2) of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, on the 
abovementioned proposals. 
The Economic and Social Committee decided to appoint Mr Velasco Mancebo as Rapporteur-
General with the task of preparing its work on the subject. 
At its 280th plenary session (meeting of 18 October 1990), the Economic and Social Committee 
unanimously adopted the following Opinion. 
1 Introduction 
1.1. The purpose of the five proposed decisions is to 
enable five of the six countries of the European Free 
Trade Association (EFTA) to take part, on the basis of 
individual state agreements, in the implementation of 
the 1989-1992 SPES programme (European Stimulation 
Plan for Economic Science) adopted by the Council on 
13 February 1989 (*). 
1.2. This trial plan, backed by an appropriation of 
6 million ECU(2), is designed to set up a top-level 
cooperation and exchange network for economists in 
the Community. It is one of a range of measures to 
make the scientific and technological capacity of the 
Community more effective, to the benefit of all Member 
States, and ultimately to establish a real researchers' 
Europe in a frontier-free European area. 
1.3. SPES represents the extension to the field of 
economic science of the objectives and measures 
enshrined in the SCIENCE programme to stimulate the 
international cooperation and interchanges needed by 
European research scientists. The SCIENCE pro­
gramme, which was renewed on 29 June 1988 (3), con­
cerns only the exact and natural sciences. 
1.4. The specific objectives and implementing 
arrangements for SPES are detailed in Annex A of the 
five cooperation agreements. 
1.5. SPES was welcomed by the Committee Opinion 
of 28 September 1988 (4), which said that despite its 
(!) OJ No L 44, 16. 2. 1989, p. 43. 
(2) On 23 May 1990 the Commission presented a proposal for a 
decision to add four million ECU to the SPES budget. This 
proposal was approved by the Committee on 19 September 
1990 (Opinion CES 1059/90). 
(3) SCIENCE plan 1988-1992 (OJ No L 206, 30. 7. 1988, p. 34). 
(4) OJ No C 318, 12. 12. 1988, p. 23. limited objectives SPES 'should eventually help to boost 
Europe's economic science potential by improving col­
laboration between the responsible bodies'. 
1.6. Article 5 of the Council Decision on SPES autho­
rizes the Commission, in accordance with Treaty 
Article 130N, to negotiate agreements with European 
countries which have concluded framework scientific 
and technical cooperation agreements with the Com­
munity, with a view to associating them wholly or 
partly with the programme. 
1.7. The five EFTA countries have concluded such 
framework agreements, approved by the Council on 9 
February 1987 (5). 
1.8. The present cooperation agreements lay down: 
— A financial contribution from each of the five 
countries to work carried out under research con­
tracts and to the administration and operating 
expenditure of SPES. 
The rules governing this contribution are appended 
to the agreements. The contribution is a proportion 
of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The Finnish 
contribution is put at 121 600 ECU, the Swedish 
contribution at 215 400 ECU, the Norwegian contri­
bution at 114 600 ECU, the Austrian contribution 
at 160 800 ECU and the Swiss contribution at 230 
400 ECU. 
— The entitlement of research and development 
(R&D) bodies and persons in the five countries to 
submit research proposals and conclude contracts 
with the Commission. 
— The circumstances under which R&D bodies and 
persons in the five countries can renegotiate or 
terminate contracts. 
(5) OJ No L 71, 14. 3. 1987, p. 29. 
No C 31/38 Official Journal of the European Communities 6. 2. 91 
2. General comments 
2.1. The Committee approves the five proposals, 
subject to the comments which follow. 
2.2. The extension of the SPES plan to the EFTA 
nations is a further step in an already well-established 
policy of scientific and technical cooperation with these 
countries. 
2.3. Such cooperation allows the EFTA nations to 
participate in certain EC research programmes, subject 
to conditions which vary according to the nature of the 
specific programme and the related Council Decisions. 
These conditions were most recently outlined in the 
Commission communication of 19 June 1990 on Coop­
eration in Science and Technology with Third 
Countries (x). 
2.4. The EFTA countries already take part fully in 
the environment, medical research and health, and 
SCIENCE programmes, and this full participation for­
mula is also to be used for SPES. 
2.5. Aside from the legal framework governing these 
agreements, the Committee would note that the devel­
opment of EC-EFTA scientific and technical cooper­
ation is part of a more general extension of their cooper­
ation with a view to the establishment of a European 
economic space (EES) as outlined in the Luxembourg 
declaration of April 1984 and the Oslo declaration of 
March 1989 adopted by EC and EFTA ministers. 
2.5.1. The Oslo declaration makes explicit reference 
to the reinforcement and extension of EC-EFTA coop­
eration within the framework of Community research 
and technological development (R&TD) activity as one 
of the objectives of a European economic space. 
(!) Doc. COM(90) 256 final. 
Done at Brussels, 18 October 1990. 2.6. The Committee Opinion on EC-EFTA 
relations (2) stressed that it would be wrong to see the 
EES as the extension of the EC to EFTA. The Commit­
tee considers that this distinction is fundamental in the 
case of increased scientific and technical cooperation, 
as Article 130F of the EEC Treaty states that the aim 
of Community R&TD policy is to 'strengthen the scien­
tific and technological basis of European industry and 
to encourage it to become more competitive at inter­
national level'. 
2.7. The Committee therefore firmly supports the 
Commission's statement in the abovementioned com­
munication that 'a balance between the requirements 
of cooperation and the needs of competition must be 
realized, since firms of these countries are in compe­
tition with those of the Community'. 
2.8. This in no way tempers the Committee's support 
for the extension of SPES to the EFTA countries, which 
can only benefit the European scientific community 
overall. The Committee is merely concerned to stress 
that the creation of a European economic space—within 
which scientific and technical cooperation should play 
a major role—should not allow 'certain countries to 
draw clear benefits from the EES process without the 
necessary political and economic quid pro quos' (3). 
2.9. The Committee urges the Council to take 
account of these comments when it drafts the con­
clusions which, at its last meeting on 29 June 1990, it 
agreed to adopt in the near future on Community policy 
guidelines for scientific and technical cooperation with 
third countries, and with EFTA in particular. 
3. Specific comments 
3.1. The Committee would again urge that the text 
of the agreements be amended to specify that the SPES 
evaluation reports (scheduled during the third year of 
implementation) also be sent to the ESC. 
(2) OJ No C 182, 23. 7. 1990, p. 33. 
(3) OJ No C 182, 23. 7. 1990, point 3.5. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Francois STAEDELIN