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EC/India Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation: renewal of the Agreement

2007/0207(CNS)

PURPOSE: to conclude an Agreement on Scientific and Technical Co-operation with India.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.

CONTENT: in 2001 the Community signed an Agreement on Scientific and Technical Co-operation with the Republic of India (see CNS/2001/0175), to be concluded for an initial period of five years. The Agreement may be renewed, by mutual agreement between the parties, following an evaluation. At the EC-India S&T Steering Committee in November 2006, both Parties expressed their interest in renewing the Agreement.

The purpose of this proposal, therefore, is to renew the Agreement for a further five years. Rapid renewal for five more years would be in the best interest of both Parties in order to maintain a seamless continuity in EC-India scientific relations. Since the material content of the renewed Agreement will be identical to the material content of the current Agreement (which expires on 14 October 2007), a simplified, one-step, procedure involving a single act concerning signature and conclusion is being proposed.

Based on the above, the Commission requests the Council to:

  • approve, following Parliamentary consultations, the conclusion of an Agreement that renews the existing Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the EC and the Republic of India; and
  • authorise the President of the Council to designate the person empowered to sign the Agreement in order to express the Community’s consent to the renewed Agreement.

The Agreement’s main objective is to encourage and facilitate cooperative research and development activities in science and technology fields of common interest between the Community and India. The Agreement is based on the principle of: partnership; reciprocal access to research activities; timely information exchange; and the correct protection of intellectual property rights.

Cooperative activities will be subject to the availability of funds and to the laws and regulations (including those on tax and customs exemptions) applicable in the territories of each Party. Costs will be shared – without any transfer of funds from one Party to the other. An Annex to the Agreement sets out the IPR provisions that are to govern the Agreement.