Research RTD: cooperation with the world's emerging countries

The committee adopted the proposal for a resolution by 12 votes to 11 with 1 abstention. While approving the new strategic line defined in the Commission communication, which follows on from the recommendations contained in Parliament's report of 8 May 1996, the rapporteur, Mr Pompidou (UPE, F), insisted on the need for the Commission to envisage cooperation mechanisms based on proper partnership between research teams in the European Union and the third countries concerned with a view to implementing joint projects with a high added value in the field of scientific and technological research. He therefore regretted that the Commission had not taken a clearer stand on the transfer of Community funds and called for the costs incurred during the start-up phase to be divided and for scientific knowledge and technological know-how to be pooled. In addition, the draft resolution emphasized the importance of concluding special agreements setting out the legal framework for the cooperation in question and, where necessary, clarifying the sectors concerned. Finally, the text adopted urged the Commission to promote a first exchange programme of researchers and engineers, taking account of the fact that a large number of qualified researchers from emerging countries were already cooperating on a temporary basis with the scientific and technological community in the United States. This should act as a inventive to the European Union to take up the challenge and create a web of human and professional relations to spread the image of Europe in the third countries in question.�