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Vol. 1983/0 008 
  
 
Disclaimer  
Conformém ent au règlement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du 1er février 1983 
concernant l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique 
européenne et de la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983, 
p. 1), tel que modifié par le règlement (CE, Euratom) n° 1700/2003 du 22 septembre 2003 
(JO L 243 du 27.9.2003, p. 1), ce dossier est ouvert au public. Le cas échéant, les documents 
classifiés présents dans ce dossier ont été déclassifiés conformément à l'article 5 dudit 
règlem ent. 
In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983 
concerning the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Econom ic 
Communit y and the European Atom ic Energy Communit y (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as 
amended by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1700/2003 of 22 September 2003 (OJ L 243, 
27.9.2003, p. 1), t his file is open to the public. Where necessary, classified documents in this 
file have been declassified in conformity with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation.  
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom  1. 
Februa r 1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen  
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und der Europäischen Atomgem einschaft (ABI. L 43 vom  15.2.1983,  
S. 1), geändert durch die Verordnung (EG, Euratom) Nr. 1700/2003 vom 22. Septem ber 2003  
(ABI. L 243 v om 27.9.2003, S. 1), ist diese Datei der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Soweit  
erforderlich, wurden die Verschlusssachen in dieser Datei in Übereinstimmung mit Artikel 5  
der genannten Verordnung freigegeben.  
(submitted  to the Council by the Commission) COMMISSION  OF  THE  EUROPEAN  COMMUNITIES 
C0M(83) 17 final 
Brussels,  25 January  1983 
the field of 
C0MC83) cellular  ageing 
17 final Draft 
COUNCIL  DECISION 
concerning  the conclusion  of an  Agreement  between  the European Economie 
Community  and the Swiss Confédération  on a concerted-action project  in 

COMMUNICATION  FROM  THE COMMISSION  Tö  THE COUNCIL 
SUBJECT  ; Draft Council  Décision  concerning  the conclusion  of an 
Agreement  between  the European  Economic  Community  end the  Swiss 
Confederation  on a concerted-action project  in the  field of 
cellular  ageing. 
By its Decision  82/616/EEC  of 17 August 1982, the Council  adopted  a 
sectoral  research  and development  programme  in the  field of medical  and 
public health research  - concerted-action  (1982-86)  which provided  for the 
continuation  of the  project  on cellular  ageing. 
Article 7 of that Decision provides  for the  conclusion  of agreements  between 
the community  and non-member  states  participating  in European  Cooperation 
in the Field of Scientific  and Technical  Research  (COST),  with a view to 
their total  or partial  involvement  in the  programme. 
The same provision authorizes  the Commission  to open négociations  to this 
end. 
In October,  the Swiss Confederation  made application  to participate  in the 
concerted-action project  relating  to cellular  ageing. 
Négociations  with the Swiss Confederation  have led to the  drafting  of the 
Agreement  which is annexed  to the  attached draft Council Decision. 
This Agreement  provides that  : 
- the General  Committee  and the  Concerted-Action  Committee  responsible  for 
this project  shall be enlarged  to include  the Swiss Confederation  for the 
purposes  of all activities arising  from the project; 
- the financial  contribution  to the  costs of coordination  for the  period from 
1 January  1983 to .31 December  1986 shall be : 
- 600,000  ECU from the Community 
- 56,000  ECU from the Swiss Confederation. 
The Commission  hereby  requests  the Council  to adopt the attached draft 
Deci sion. 

DRAFT COUNCIL  DECISION 
CONCERNING  THE CONCLUSION OF AN  AGREEMENT BETWEEN  THE  EUROPEAN  ECONOMIC  COMMUNITY 
AND THE SWISS CONFEDERATION ON A CONCERTED-ACTION PROJECT IN THE  FIELD 
OF CELLULAR  AGEING 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard  to the  Treaty  establishing  the European Economic  Community, 
Having regard  to Council Decision  82/616/EEC  of 17 August 1982 adopting 
a sectoral  research  and development  programme  of the  European Economic 
Community  in the  field of medical  and public  health research  - concerted-
1 
action-(1982-86)  , and in  particular  Article  7(1) thereof, 
Having regard  to the  draft Decision submitted  by the  Commission, 
Whereas,  pursuant  to Article  7 (2) of  Decision  82/616/EEC,  the Commission 
has negotiated  an Agreement  with the Swiss Confederation with  a view to 
associating  it partly with this programme, 
Whereas  it is  necessary  to approve  that Agreement, 
HAS DECIDED AS  FOLLOWS  : 
Article 1 
The Agreement  concluded  between  the European Economic  Community  and the 
Swiss Confederation  on a concerted-action project  in the  field of cellular 
ageing is hereby approved  on behalf of the  Community. 
The text of the  Agreement  is annexed  to this Decision. 
OJ N° L 248,  24.8.1982,  p. 12 1 

Artide 2 
The President  of the  Council  is hereby  authorized  to designate  the persons 
empowered  to sign the Agreement in  order to bind the Community. 
Done at Brussels, 
For the CounciI, 
The President 

DRAFT AGREEMENT 
BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN  ECONOMIC  COMMUNITY  AND THE SWISS CONFEOERATION ON 
A CONCERTED-ACTION PROJECT IN THE  FIELD OF CELLULAR  AGEING. 
The European  Economie Community, 
hereinafter  referred  to as "the  Community" 
and 
The Swiss  Confederation, 
Whereas an European  concerted-action  research  project  in the  field of 
cellular  ageing  is likely to contribute  effectively  to the  attainment  of 
an optimum  Lever of individuai  and public health; 
Whereas,  by its Decision  of 17 August 1982,  the Council  of the  European 
Communities  adopted  a sectoral  research  and development programme  in the 
field of medicai  and public health  research  - concerted-action  (1982-86), 
which included  a concerted-action project  in the  field of cellular  ageing; 
Whereas the Member  States  of the  Community  and the  Swiss Confederation, 
hereinafter  referred  to as "the  States", intend,  pursuant  to the  rules and 
procedures  applicable  to their national  programmes,  to carry out all or part 
of the research  described  in Annex A and are  prepared  to integrate  such 
research  within  a framework  of coordination  which  they consider  will be of 
mutuai benefit; 
Whereas the estimated cost  of the  research  described  in annex A to be 
coneducted  by the  States amounts  to 25 million  ECU; 
have agreed  as foLLows  : 
Article 1 
The Community  and the Swiss Confederation, hereinafter referred  to as 
"the Contracting  Parties"  shall participate during  the period  from 
1 January  1983 to 31  December  1986 in a concerted-action  project  in the  field 
of cellular  ageing. 
• / m m m 

- 2 -
This project  shaLL  consist in the coordination of the  Community's  concerted-
action programme  with that of the  Swiss  Confederation. 
The research covered by  this Agreement  is described in  Annex A. 
The States  shall remain  entirely  responsible for the research  conducted  by 
their national  institutes  or bodies. 
Article  2 
The Commission  of the  European  Communities,  hereinafter referred to as 
"the Commission",  shall be responsible for the coordination  activities. 
It shall  be assisted in the execution of  this task by a Project  Leader. 
Article  3 
In order to  facilitate  the implementation of the project, the General  Committee 
and the relevant Concerted-Action  Committee  set up by the Council Decision 
of 17 August  1982 shall  be enlarged to include the  Swiss  Confederation for the 
purpose  of all  activities arising  from the concerted-action project covered 
by this Agreement. 
The terms  of reference of these enlarged  committees  are defined in  Annex B. 
The secretarial  services for these enlarged  committees  shall be provided by 
the Commission. 
Article  4 
The estimated  financial  contribution of the Contracting Parties to the 
coordination  costs for the period referred to in  Article  1 shall be 
- 600,000  ECU from the Community, 
- 56,000  ECU from the Swiss  Confederation. 
The ECU is that defined in the Financial Regulation in force applicable to the 
general  budget  of the  European  Communities  and in the  financial  provisions 
adopted  pursuant  to that Regulation. 
The rules governing the financing of the  Agreement  are set out in  Annex C. 

- 3 -
Article  5 
The project  shall be evaluated at the end of the  third  year. 
As a result  of this evaluation the  Commission  may, after  consulting the 
enlarged General  Committee,  submit  a proposal for  revision  of the project 
in accordance  with the appropriate procedures. 
Article  6 
The States and the  Commission  shall periodically  exchange  all relevant 
information concerning the execution of the research covered by  this 
Agreement.  The States  shall  provide the  Commission  with all the information 
necessary for coordination  purposes.  They shall also endeavour  to provide 
the Commission  with information on  similar  research  planned  or carried  out 
by bodies  which  are not  under  their authority. Any information  will be treated 
as confidential  if the State  which  supplies it so requests. 
On completion of the  programme,  the Commission,  in agreement  with the 
enlarged General  Committee,  shall send to the States a  summary  report 
on the implementation and  results  of the  programme,  particularly  so that 
the results  obtained may be accessible as  rapidly  as possible to the enter­
prises,  institutions  and other parties  concerned,  especially  in the  social 
area. 
Article  7 
1. This  Agreement  shall enter  into force on the day of its signature. 
2. For a period of twelve  months  following its entry  into force,  this 
Agreement  shall be open for accession by other  European  States  which took 
part in the  ministerial  conference held in Brussels on 22 and 23  November 
1971. The instruments of accession  shall  be deposited with the General 
Secretariat  of the Council of the  European  Communities. 
A State  which accedes  to this Agreement  shall become  a Contracting Party 
within the meaning  of Article  1 on the  date on which  the instrument of 
accession is deposited, and the references to "the  Swiss  Confederation" in 
Articles  3 and 8  shall be understood  as references to the acceding State 
also. Each acceding State  shall contribute to the coordination costs 
under the conditions set out in  Article  4 in reference to the  Swiss 
Confederation. 

4 
3. The Secretary-General of the Council of the  European  Communities  shall 
inform each of the Contracting Parties of the depositing of the instruments 
of accession referred to in  paragraph  2. 
Article  8 
This Agreement  shall apply, on the one  hand,  to the  territories  in which 
the Treaty establishing the  European  Economic  Community  is applied  under 
the conditions  laid down in that Treaty, and on the other  hand to the 
territory  of the  Swiss  Confederation. 
Article  9 
This Agreement,  drawn up in a single  original  in the Danish,  Dutch, 
English,  French,  German,  Greek and Italian  languages,  each text being 
equally  authentic,  shall be deposited in the archives of the General Secre­
tariat of the Council of the  European  Communities,  which  shall transmit a 
certified  copy to each of the Contracting  Parties. 

ANNEX A 
RESEARCH  COVERED BY THE AGREEMENT 
1. Cellular  basis of liver- and brain-ageing  : biophysical  and biochemical 
studies at the  organic,  cellular  and sub-cellular  level of progressive 
age-related functional deterioration, including studies  of senile 
dementia. 
2. The immune  system  during ageing  : study of age-related  changes  in 
the immune  system  in animals  and, to a  lesser exent,  in man,  with 
particular  reference  to immuno-deficiency,  possible  forms of treatment 
and the origin of arthritic  diseases. 
3. Ageing  of the  crystalline  lens : physiological, morphological  and 
biochemical studies  of age-related functional deterioration,  and origin 
of senile cataracts  in human and  animal  tissue. 

ANNEX B 
TERMS OF REFERENCE  OF THE ENLARGED  COMMITTEES 
I. The enlarged  General  Concerted  Action  Committee 
1. The General  Committee  shall : 
- contribute  to the  best possible  implementation  of the  programme  by 
giving its opinion  on all its aspects; 
- endeavour to  integrate  those parts of national research  activities 
covered  by this Agreement  into a process  of coordination  between 
the Contracting Parties; 
- within  the programme  as defined  in Annex A to the Agreement,  coordinate 
the activities,  duration,  and possibly, early termination  of the  projects 
forming the research  areas of this programme,  according  to emerging 
needs or the  results  of periodical evaluations; 
- indicate guidelines  to the  enlarged Concerted-Action  Committee; 
- advise  the Commission on  allocation  of funds for coordination  purposes, 
supporting centralized  facilities,  meeting  urgent  needs in  critical 
areas, and undertaking exploratory  activities  in a view of the  prepa­
ration of future  programmes. 
2. The reports  and opinions  of the  enlarged  General  Committee  shall be 
forwarded  to the  Contracting Parties.  The Commission  shall forward  these 
opinions  to CREST. 
II. Enlarged  Concerted  Action  Committee 
1. The Committee  shall : 
- assist  the enlarged  General  Committee in its  management  tasks by 
ensuring  the scientific  and technical execution  of all those projects 
assigned  to it in accordance  with its competence; 
- evaluate  the results  and draw  conclusions  as regards  their application; 
- be responsible  for the exchange of  information referred  to in the 
first paragraph  of Article  6; 
- keep  abreast  of national research being  done in the  field of the  projects 
and, more especially  of scientific  and technical  developments  likely  to 
affect their  execution; 
- suggest  guidelines  to the  Project  Leader. 
<- T -- *  .i- s m L m a L m · * 

- 2 -
2. The Committee's  reports  and opinions  shall be forwarded to the  enlarged 
General Committee and to the Commission. 
3. The Project  Leader  shall attend  the meetings of the Committee but  shall 
not have the  right to vote. 

ANNEX C 
FINANCING  RULES 
Article  I 
These provisions  ljy down the  financial  rules referred to in 
Article  4 of ihc  Community-COST  Concertation Agree­
ment on a concerted action  proieci  in the  field  of Cel LuLar 
ageing. 
Am,  /.·* 
At the beginning of each  financial  year, the  Commission 
shall  send to the  Swiss Confederation 
a call  for funds corresponding to its  share  of the annual 
coordination  costs under the Agreement,  calculated  in pro­
portion  io the maximum amounts  laid  down in Article 4 of 
• he Agreement. 
This  conirihiiiion  shall  he expressed hoth in  l-CU  and the 
current v ol the participating nun member State concerned, 
the value ol the I (. I' being itehned in the  Financial  Regu-
laiioii  applicable to the general budget of the Kuropcan 
Communities  and determined on the  date  of the call for 
funds. 
The total contributions  shall  cover the travel and subsist-
encc costs ol the delegates to the Committee, in addition to 
the coordination costs proper. 
The  SWISS  Confederation  shall  pay its annual 
ciinlnbiition  to the  tiinriliii.ition  costs under the Agree­
ment at ihc btvinning ol c.u li  ve.ir,  and by ,t1  March  at the 
taiesi  Any delay in ihc pas merit of the annual contribu­
tion  \hall  give rise to the payment of interest by the  partici­
pating  non-member Slate concerned at a  rate  equal to the 
highest  discount  rat* ruling in the  Stat**  on th* du«  dat*. The rate  shall  be increased by 0-25 of a percentage point 
for each month of delay. The increased  rate  shall  be 
applied  to the entire period of delay. However, such 
interest  shall  be chargeable  only  if payment is effected 
more than  three  months after the issue of a  call  for fund* 
by the Commission. 
Article  3 
The funds paid by  the Swiss Confederation 'shaIL 
be credited to the concerted action project as budget 
receipt!  allocated  to a heading in the  statement  of the 
revenue  of Ihc  budget  of the Commission. 
Article  4 
The provisional  timetable  for the  coordination  cost* 
referred to in Article 4 of the  Agreement  it annexed. 
Article  5 
The Financial  Regulation  in force  applicable  to the  general 
budget  of the European  Communities  shall  apply  to in* 
management  of the appropriation*. 
Ariuleft 
At the end of  each  finan*.  ial year, a  statement  of appropria­
tions  for the  concerted  action  project  shall  be prepared and 
transmitted  to the Swiss Confederation'  fof 
information. 

" CELLULAR AGEING AND DECREASED  FUNCTIONAL  CAPACITY OF ORGANS " 
Budget Item 7367 - Medical Research 
PROJECT : I.z.1 Annex to Annex C 
(in ECU) 
j 1983 
I 1984 à 1985 Total 
AC ÂP « AP AC AP 
I. Initial estimate of overaal requirements  (figures 
in the commitments and payments  schedule and in 
the table of equivalence in  Annex II to the budget 
of the Commission) 
- Staff 
- Administrative  operating  expenditure 
- Contracts 
TOTAL (to be covered by appropriations  entered under 
Item 7367) 50.000 
100.000 50.000 
100.000 50.000 
100.000 50.000 
100.000 200.000 
400.000 200.000 
400.000 I. Initial estimate of overaal requirements  (figures 
in the commitments and payments  schedule and in 
the table of equivalence in  Annex II to the budget 
of the Commission) 
- Staff 
- Administrative  operating  expenditure 
- Contracts 
TOTAL (to be covered by appropriations  entered under 
Item 7367) 150.000 150.000 150.000 150.000 600.000 600.000 
II. Revised estimate of expenditure taking  into account 
additional requirements  arising from the accession 
of the Swiss Confederation 
- Staff 
- Administrative operating expenditure 
- Contracts 
NEW TOTAL 50.000 + 
5.000 
100.000 + 
9.000 50.000 + 
5.000 
100.000 + 9.000 50.000 + 5.000 
100.000 + 
9.000 50.000 + 
5.000 
100.000 • 
9.000 200.000 + 
20.000 
400.000 + 
36.000 200.000  + 20.000 
400.000 • 
36.000 II. Revised estimate of expenditure taking  into account 
additional requirements  arising from the accession 
of the Swiss Confederation 
- Staff 
- Administrative operating expenditure 
- Contracts 
NEW TOTAL 150.000 + H.000 150.000 + 
14.000 150.000 + 
14.000 150.000 + 
14.000 600.000 + 
56.000 600.000 + 56.000 
III. Difference  between I and II to be covered by  the 
contribution  from the Swiss Confederation H.000 14.000 14.000 14.000 56.000 56.000 
AC = Appropriation for  credits 
CP = Appropriation for  commitments