Commission approves communication on RTD cooperation with emerging economies
The European Union should promote closer scientific cooperation with the world's emerging economies: this is the key message of a communication to the Council of Ministers and European Parliament just approved by the European Commission, on the request of Mrs. Edith Cresson, Commissioner responsible for research policy. The world's emerging economies - countries undergoing far-reaching economic reforms and rapid industrialization - present a unique opportunity for the European Union to establish relationships which will benefit European industry, while assisting in the socio-economic development of the countries concerned. Some of these have vast potential markets and are growing so fast that they will have a tremendous impact on the global economy. Prime examples are China, India and Brazil. The current communication, which will be presented formally to the Council of Ministers and Parliament later this year, is the first to follow up last year's communication on "Perspectives for international cooperation in research and technological development", adopted by the Council of Ministers on 25 March 1996. It identified several groups of countries needing customized cooperation schemes and mechanisms, including Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltic States, the Mediterranean countries and the New Independent States of the former Soviet Union. Since emerging economies retain some of the characteristics of developing countries, these aspects will continue to be addressed by the INCO-DC programme for scientific and technological cooperation with developing countries, under the Fourth Framework Programme. But a complementary approach is needed to address the booming high-technology segment of emerging economies, which is the subject of this new communication. As with non-European industrialized countries, the basic principles are mutual benefit and RTD cooperation leading to industrial cooperation. The communication's action plan is designed to use all the opportunities offered by the Fourth Framework Programme for RTD, and in parallel prepare a major move towards RTD cooperation with the emerging economies. Activities planned for the next three years include a series of workshops in China, India, Brazil and Mexico on the topics of space technologies, engineering seismology and advanced materials, joint studies to define a strategy for RTD cooperation with emerging economies (China, India, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina) and the implementation of a pilot phase for the exchange of scientists. There will also be an information campaign, both in Europe and in the emerging economies, to promote their participation in Community research programmes.
Countries
Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Mexico