Commissioner Cresson calls for increased scientific cooperation with Japan
Mrs. Edith Cresson, the European Commissioner for science, research and development, education and training, visited Japan from 24 to 27 May 1995. She had meetings with various members of the Japanese government as well as other figures from the political, industrial and academic world, Japanese and European. Mrs. Cresson viewed her visit as an opportunity to reinforce the cooperation already commenced in a number of areas between Japan and the European Union. The subject of increased scientific cooperation in the framework of the Fourth Framework Programme for RTD activities was high on the agenda and potential fields of cooperation in those areas of activity to which the European Commission attaches particular importance were explored. These include work on the car of the future, which could be electronically or battery operated, and on the supersonic aeroplane, as well as the development of the educational software industry. During her visit, Mrs. Cresson expressed her appreciation for the recent contribution of the Japanese government to CERN. She also welcomed the growth of joint projects between Japan and the European Union, such as the ITER project on an experimental controlled thermonuclear fusion research reactor, the "human frontier" project on life sciences and neuroscience and several Joint Research Centre projects. She proposed a number of ideas to promote the EU-Japan forum on science and technology and for concrete projects under the Fourth Framework Programme. Mrs. Cresson addressed the International Forum on Multimedia, drawing particular attention to the crucial role of education and training in the information society. In this context, she hoped that work in the highly important field of educational software would provide some interesting possibilities for collaboration. Throughout her visit, Mrs. Cresson stressed the usefulness of university student exchanges in the scientific field which ensure not only technological excellence but also a better mutual understanding which is crucial for the further development of political, economic and cultural relations between Japan and the Union. She called for efforts on both sides to ensure that more European researchers participated in study visits, given that the number of young Japanese researchers visiting Europe is four times as great as those visiting Japan from the European Union. Mrs. Cresson visited the site of the terrible earthquake at Kobe, accompanied by European and Japanese seismic experts. She hoped that the cooperation with Japan on seismic research already commenced in 1992 between the Joint Research Centre and the Japanese Institute of Construction Research would be further developed to mutual advantage.
Countries
Japan