EC/United States agreement for scientific and technological cooperation: extension

2008/0184(CNS)

PURPOSE: to extend for 5 more years the Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and the Government of the United States of America.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Decision 2009/306/EC concerning the extension and amendment of the Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and the Government of the United States of America.

CONTENT: the Council adopted a decision approving the extension of the EU/United States of America cooperation agreement on science and technology for a further period of five years.

Recall that by Decision 98/591/EC (see CNS/1998/0095), the Council approved the conclusion of the Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the EC and the United States of America, which entered into force on 14 October 1998. The Agreement was renewed for a further five years by Decision 2004/756/EC (see CNS/2003/0223) with effect from 14 October 2003.

As this Agreement also expired on 13 October 2008, the parties agreed to renew the scientific and technological cooperation Agreement for a second time for a further five years.

The material content of the extended Agreement will be identical to the material content of the Agreement which expired on 13 October 2008, with the exception of a technical amendment consisting mainly in adding research on security and space to the list of sectors for cooperative activities, in line with the scope of the 7th Research Framework programme of the Community.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: the Agreement shall enter into force on the day on which the Contracting Parties notify each other that the procedures necessary to this end have been completed.