PURPOSE: to renew the Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and India.
PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.
ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the act only if Parliament has given its consent to the act.
BACKGROUND: the Agreement on scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and India was signed in New Delhi on 23 November 2001.
This Agreement stipulates that it shall be concluded for an initial period of five years and may be renewed by mutual agreement between the Parties after evaluation during the last year of each successive period.
By its Decision 2009/501/EC of 19 January 2009, the Council approved the renewal of the Agreement for a further period of five years, until 17 May 2015.
Renewal of the Agreement for five more years would be in the interest of both Parties so as to maintain continuity in the scientific and technological relations between India and the European Union.
It is now necessary to renew the Agreement.
CONTENT: the proposal calls on the Council to renew the Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and India for an additional period of five years.
The content of the renewed Agreement is identical to the current Agreement.
The renewed Agreement takes account of the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon and replaces the term “European Community” with “European Union”.
BUDGETARY IMPLICATION: the implementation of the Agreement involves a financial envelope of EUR 70 000 from 2015 to 2020.