Scientific and technological cooperation between the EU and Australia

 

SUMMARY OF:

Agreement relating to scientific and technical cooperation between the European Community and Australia

Decision 99/510/EC — conclusion of the Agreement amending the Agreement relating to scientific and technical cooperation between the European Community and Australia

Decision 94/457/EC — conclusion of the Agreement relating to scientific and technical cooperation between the European Community and Australia

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE AGREEMENT AND OF THE DECISIONS?

The agreement establishes a formal framework for cooperation in fields of common interest where the parties are supporting research and development activities to advance science and/or technology relevant to those fields of interest. The agreement was amended once in 1999 and in particular its Article 4(2), i.e. scope.

By its decisions, the Council approved the conclusion of the agreement, and its subsequent amendment, on behalf of the European Community (now the European Union — EU).

KEY POINTS

Activities conducted under the agreement are based on a set of principles:

• mutual benefit;
• timely exchange of information which may affect the actions of participants in cooperative activities;
• effective protection and equitable distribution of intellectual property rights; and
• pursuit of economic and social benefits of cooperative activities to the EU and Australia.

Scope

The areas of cooperation are defined as follows:

• For the EU, they may include all research and technological development and demonstration activities covered by Articles 180(a) (Implementation of research, technological development and demonstration programmes, by promoting cooperation with and between undertakings, research centers and universities) and 180(d) (Stimulation of the training and mobility of researchers in the EU) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), the latter only as far as networks between infrastructure operators and related research projects are concerned.
• For Australia, they may include any science and technology activities funded or performed by the Government of Australia, the State Governments and Territories, non-government authorities including private sector research and business sectors, and any interested research entities.

Activities

Cooperation may include the following activities:

• participation of persons and legal entities*, research institutes, and other bodies, including the parties themselves, in research projects conducted by Australia or the EU, in accordance with the procedures in force for each party;
• shared use of research facilities in pursuit of cooperation on research projects;
• visits and exchanges of scientists, engineers and other appropriate personnel for the purposes of participating in seminars, symposia and workshops relevant to cooperation under this agreement;
• exchange of information such as practices, laws, regulations and programmes relevant to cooperation under this agreement; and
• other activities as may be mutually determined by the Joint EU-Australia Science and Technology Cooperation Committee.

DATE OF ENTRY INTO FORCE

The agreement entered into force on 25 July 1994 and the agreement amending it on 9 December 1999. It has indefinite duration and it may be terminated at any time by either party upon 12 months’ written notice.

BACKGROUND

This Scientific & Technological (S&T) agreement of 1994 was the first S&T co-operation agreement concluded by the European Community with an industrialised country outside Europe. It forms part of wider bilateral relations between the EU and Australia which are currently based on the 2008 EU-Australia Partnership Framework. A new, more comprehensive, Framework Agreement was signed in 2017 and has provisionally applied to certain sectors since 4 October 2018.

For more information, see:

• Australia and the EU (European External Action Service)

For more information about Research & Innovation (R&I) cooperation with Australia, see:

• International R&I cooperation with Australia (European Commission)
• Roadmap for EU-Australia S&T cooperation (European Commission).

KEY TERMS

MAIN DOCUMENTS

Agreement relating to scientific and technical cooperation between the European Community and Australia (OJ L 188, 22.7.1994, pp. 18-25)

Successive amendments to the agreement have been incorporated into the original text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.

Council Decision 99/510/EC of 29 April 1999 concerning the conclusion of the Agreement amending the Agreement relating to scientific and technical cooperation between the European Community and Australia (OJ L 195, 28.7.1999, p. 31)

Council Decision 94/457/EC of 27 June 1994 concerning the conclusion of an Agreement relating to scientific and technical cooperation between the European Community and Australia (OJ L 188, 22.7.1994, p. 17)

RELATED DOCUMENTS

Framework Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Australia, of the other part (OJ L 237, 15.9.2017, pp. 7-35)

last update 26.03.2020