Parliamentary Resolution on S&T cooperation with third countries
A Resolution of the European Parliament on scientific and technological (S&T) cooperation with countries and organizations outside Europe (10 September 1991) inter alia calls on the Commission to request an independent evaluation of current Community cooperation with third countries and organizations. The European Parliament notes the conclusions of the Commission's communication on this subject (COM(90) 0256) but considers them inadequately researched and evaluated, and notes the related Council Declaration of 20 November 1990 but regrets its inadequate treatment of cooperation outside the framework programme with non-European countries. The Commission is requested to set up an information collecting network on S&T developments outside the Community and to ensure this information reaches public and private bodies within the Community, including research institutes, universities and companies; also to evaluate Member States' S&T cooperation activity, to publish a biennial report on the state of S&T in the EC (with comparative information on S&T activities in other parts of the word), and to propose to the Council priorities for both intra-Community and extra-Community R&D. Further subjects treated in this Resolution include: Ensuring appropriate investment conditions in international S&T cooperation; focus in international cooperation (evaluation and reorganization of the International Science Cooperation programme, direction of existing cooperation projects towards assistance with main research needs, help in equipping laboratories, and training). The Resolution calls for the creation of three centres of excellence for: solar energy in the Sahel region, tropical forest management, and coastal management in the Ganges delta. The Commission is further requested to put in place the instruments for a specific S&T cooperation programme (the so-called AVICENNA Programme) with the Maghreb and other countries of the Mediterrannean basin, and to propose an international research project (LIFE 2000) to investigate the health, environmental and energy needs of the world in the twenty-first century.