EU prepares to join Science and Technology Centre in Ukraine The European Commission has published proposals for Council Regulations which would allow the European Union to join the Science and Technology Centre in Ukraine (STCU). The Ukrainian Centre is similar in format and purpose to the International Science and Technology Centre (I... The European Commission has published proposals for Council Regulations which would allow the European Union to join the Science and Technology Centre in Ukraine (STCU). The Ukrainian Centre is similar in format and purpose to the International Science and Technology Centre (ISTC), set up in Moscow in 1993, which aims to encourage weapons scientists from the former Soviet Union to re-deploy their skills in research for peaceful ends. The EU did not join the STCU when it was established by agreement between Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the USA in 1993 for a number of reasons. However the invitation was left open, and in 1996, the EU decided to reconsider its position. As a result, the Commission has negotiated the EU's terms of entry, which have now to be approved by the Council, after receiving the opinion of the European Parliament. Once the EU has joined, Sweden plans to leave the STCU Agreement in its own right once its full budget has been committed. Currently the STCU is funding some 85 projects, involving over 1,300 scientists, with a total of US$ 18.5 million. A further 300 project proposals are being examined by the Centre. Countries Ukraine
