No C 298/30 Official Journal of the European Communities 27. 11. 89 
Opinion on 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 on a programme plan to stimulate the international cooperation and interchange 
needed by European research scientists (SCIENCE) (!) 
(89/C 298/09) 
On 20 June 1989, 10 and 19 July 1989, the Council of the European Communities decided 
to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under Article 130 (2) of the Treaty establishing 
the European Economic Community, on the abovementioned proposals. 
The Committee instructed its Section for Energy, Nuclear questions and Research to prepare 
its work on the matter. The Section adopted its Opinion on 8 September 1989 (rapporteur: 
Mr Moreland). 
The Committee unanimously adopted the following Opinion at its 269th plenary session 
(meeting of 27 September 1989). 
1. Purpose and content of the proposals 
1.1. The purpose of the proposals is to associate 
Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden and Finland to 
the implementation of the SCIENCE programme, 
decided by the Council on 29 June 1988 (2). In pratical 
terms these five proposals, once adopted by the Council, 
mean that the SCIENCE programme will cover the 
twelve Member States of the Community and the five 
of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) 
countries (3). 
1.2. Any additional expenditure resulting from the 
implementation of these cooperation agreements will 
be covered by the country concerned. 
1.3. There wil be a representative of the relevant 
national authority of each of the five countries on 
the Committee for the Development of Science and 
Technology (CODEST), which will assist the Com­
mission in the implementation of the SCIENCE pro­
gramme. 
2. General comments 
2.1. Article 5 of the SCIENCE programme authorizes 
the Commission to negotiate agreements with third 
countries and in particular with those European 
countries having concluded framework agreement for 
scientific and technical cooperation with the Com­
munity. Under these circumstances and in interest of 
(!) OJ No C 154, 22. 6. 1989, p. 5 (Austria) and p. 12 (Norway), 
and OJ No C 197, 2. 8. 1989, p. 7 (Finland), p. 14 (Sweden), 
p. 21 (Swiss). 
(2) OJ No L 206, 30. 6. 1988, p. 34. 
(3) It is understood that a similar agreement to associate Iceland 
is expected later this year. Consequently, the SCIENCE pro­
gramme will effectively cover the EC and EFTA—although 
the latter wil be on an individual State basis. enhancing and broadening scientific knowledge, the 
Committee supports the Commission proposals subject 
to the specific comments below. 
3. Specific comments on the cooperation agreements 
3.1. The five agreements are basically the same with 
two exceptions mentioned below, under 3.6 and 3.7. 
3.2. Article 2—Financial aspects 
3.2.1. The Committee has no objection to the for­
mula adopted for calculating the contribution of the 
countries concerned. However, it emphasizes that the 
basis of the formula—using the individual ratio of total 
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the Community and 
the countries concerned—should in no circumstances 
lead to a juste retour approach to the allocation of 
financial support, which must be based essentially on 
the relative merits of the projects proposed, as outlined 
under point 4 of Annex A to the five draft cooperation 
agreements. 
3.3. Article 5—Transmission of the progress report to 
the Economic and Social Committee 
3.3.1. Once again, the Committee sees no reason 
why it is excluded from receiving the report on the 
implementation of the programme. As this report may 
include proposals for changes in the SCIENCE pro­
gramme on which ultimately the Committee must be 
consulted under Article 130 Q (2) of the EEC treaty, 
the Committee asks that this Article be modified 
accordingly. 
27. 11. 89 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 298/31 
3.4. Article 7—Implementation of the programme 
3.4.1. The Committee notes that the organizations, 
in the five countries, responsible for the implementation 
of the programme will be government departments, 
academic institutions or quasi-governement research 
institutions. The Committee stresses, as it did in its 
Opinion on the SCIENCE programme, the importance 
of including scientific research in the commercial and 
industrial world in the programme. 
3.5. Article 9—Termination of the agreements 
3.5.1. Article 9, paragraph 5, provides that either 
contracting party may at any time terminate the agree­
ment with 6 month's notice. In the event of this pro­
vision being invoked, it should be clear that only appli­
cations made after the date of termination would not 
be considered for support. 
3.6. Article 10 
3.6.1. It is evident that Article 10 of the draft cooper­
ation agreements with Norway, Switzerland, Austria 
and Sweden, which states that 'the Annexes A, B and 
C to these agreements shall be an integral part thereof, 
is not included in the draft cooperation agreement with 
Finland. 
3.6.2. In the Committee's view the draft agreement 
with Finland should be brought in line with the other 
four draft agreements. 
3.7. Entering into force of the cooperation agreements 
3.7.1. The Committee would question the validity of 
Article 1 of the draft agreements with Austria and 
Norway which states that these two countries are 
associated with the SCIENCE programme as and from 
1 July 1989 although the procedures necessary for the 
entering into force of these agreements, as provided for 
in Article 11, have not yet been completed. 
3.7.2. The Committee considers this should be clari­
fied by the Commission or Council. Otherwise Article 1 
of these two agreements should be amended. 
Done at Brussels, 27 September 1989. 3.8. Annex A—point 5 
3.8.1. Point 5 of Annex A refers to 'Stimulation 
incentive measures'. The Committee believes that these 
measures should be clearly specified, otherwise it will 
be unclear as to the financial control to be used. 
3.9. Other considerations 
3.9.1. The Committee would remind the Com­
mission, Council and inform the competent authorities 
of the five countries concerned of the conclusions and 
Recommendations of the review panel on the 1985-
1988 plan to stimulate European scientific cooperation 
and interchange, and in particular those which are 
referred to in its Opinion on the SCIENCE pro­
gramme (*) concerning: 
a) the need for a greater involvement from the com­
mercial and industrial world through greater par­
ticipation by industrial laboratories; 
b) the desirability of more widespread applications. It 
is pointed out that all the Community Institutions 
(including the Economic and Social Committee) 
have a responsibility for making the programme 
widely known; 
c) the need to ensure that the procedures are relatively 
rapid and flexible and that simplified contracts and 
procedures below the 100 000 ECU level should be 
introducted; interim reports should be simplified 
and contract extension be made possible. 
3.9.2. The Committee notes that constant reference 
is made to the 'Stimulation Plan'. As the programme is 
now officially called 'SCIENCE' it is most desirable to 
avoid confusion to refer, instead, throughout the text 
of the five cooperation agreements to the 'SCIENCE 
programme'. 
3.93. The Committee sees advantages in concluding 
similar agreements on a 'European stimulation plan for 
economic science' (SPES), decided by the Council on 
13 February 1989(2). 
(1) OJNoC35,8. 2. 1988, p. 5. 
(2) OJ No L 44, 16. 2. 1989, p. 43. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Alberto MASPRONE