The first meeting of the EU-Russia Permanent Partnership Council on Research was held in Ljubljana on 26 May 2008.
At the meeting, the Russian Federation was represented by the Minister of Education and Science and Andrey Fursenko.
The European Union was represented by Minister Mojca Kucler Dolinar of the current Presidency, Slovenia, by Commissioner Janez Potočnik responsible for Research and technological development and by Ambassador Chantal de Bourmont of the incoming French Presidency.
The participants welcomed the fact that cooperation between the EU and Russia in the field of research is one of the most promising areas of cooperation and the role this closer cooperation will play as an increasingly important aspect of socio-economic progress, economic development and effective resource management.
The participants underlined the fact that cooperation between the EU and Russia in the field of research spans many key technological and strategic sectors and expressed their satisfaction that good progress has been achieved in the implementation of the roadmap of the EU-Russia Common Space of Research and Education, including Cultural aspects. In this context, they welcomed the fact that Russia has consistently been the most successful third-country partner in the 6th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development.
They supported the objective that EU-Russia cooperation should increasingly focus on flagship cooperation projects in key strategic areas of the scientific cooperation.
They expressed satisfaction with the fact that the European Community and Russia have launched coordinated calls for co-funded research project proposals (in the areas of Food, Agriculture & Biotechnology and in the area of Energy). They welcomed the fact that more such coordinated calls for co-funded projects, namely in the areas of Health, Nanotechnologies & New Materials, will be launched soon, and expressed satisfaction that analogous discussions are ongoing on similar co-funded initiatives in the areas of aeronautics, nuclear fission energy research, and in space research.
The participants noted with satisfaction that these coordinated calls will facilitate the implementation of their strategic partnership in the field of science and technology.
Recalling the positive role of the Russia-EC Agreement on scientific and technological cooperation signed on 16 November 2000, the participants agreed to undertake the necessary steps with a view to extend this Agreement which provides for cooperation on an equal footing.
Welcoming the fact that a major element in the realisation of the Common Space of Research and Education, including Cultural aspects, are the numerous bilateral cooperation programmes and activities of the EU Member States with Russia, the participants reaffirmed their common interest in the further development of this cooperation, based on principles of equality and mutual benefit.
They expressed their conviction that, building on the impressive achievements attained to date, there is scope for further enhancing EU-Russia science cooperation. In this respect, they noted that an eventual association of the Russian Federation to the 7th Framework Programme on Research and Technological Development would take Russia-EU scientific and technological cooperation to a new qualitative level. They stated that the European Research Area would be enriched and strengthened by Russia also becoming a full part of it.
The participants noted that the EU will take all the necessary steps to rapidly examine the request by the Russian Federation to start the negotiation of an association Agreement to the 7th Framework Programme on Research and Technological Development. In particular, they agreed that the Commission and the Russian authorities would meet to address all relevant issues which relate to the possible association of Russia to the 7th Framework Programme on Research and Technological Development, including administrative, legal, organisational and procedural requirements.
In conclusion, they expressed the hope that a satisfactory outcome would be achieved as soon as possible.
