The Committee on Industry, Research and Energy adopted the report by Sofia SAKORAFA (GUE/NGL, EL) on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Union and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan setting out the terms and conditions for Jordan’s participation in the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA).
The committee recommended that the European Parliament give its consent to the conclusion of the agreement.
As stated in the explanatory memorandum accompanying the recommendation, in July 2017 the European Parliament adopted the new Partnership on Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA). This is the first ever Public-to-Public Partnership under Article 185 TFEU to target a specific geographical area, the Mediterranean Basin, including the participation of neighbouring EU countries.
PRIMA will be launched on 1 January 2018 for a period of ten years with the aim of developing and adopting innovative and integrated solutions for the sustainable management of water provision and agro-food systems in the Mediterranean area.
This partnership is, so far, the most ambitious Euro-Mediterranean research and innovation initiative in this field. It represents one of the few attempts by the EU science diplomacy that could also help to resolve the issue of forced displacement of Mediterranean residents and thus address some of the root causes of migration.
19 countries are jointly undertaking PRIMA: 11 Member States, three associated countries to Horizon 2020 and five third countries with which the international agreements for scientific and technological cooperation need to be concluded.
In this context, the rapporteur welcomed the Commission proposal on the agreements already concluded with Egypt, Algeria and Lebanon following the adoption of PRIMA.