The Official Journal of the European Union has published on january 26th, 2009 the Conclusions of the Council concerning a European partnership for international scientific and technological cooperation, which aims aims to develop better coherence and synergies between the various international scientific and technological cooperation activities carried out in Europe by Member States and the European Community.

Following its conclusions, the Council considers that the pursuit of the European Union's general objectives can be strengthened through a strategic framework for the appropriate coordination of its various scientific and technological cooperation activities with third countries.

Accordingly, the Council invites Member States and the Commission to form a European Partnership in the field of international scientific and technological cooperation (‘S&T cooperation’) with a view to implementing this European strategy. This Partnership should be based on consultation and sharing of information in a flexible way in order to identify common priorities which could give rise to coordinated or joint initiatives.

The Council also invites Member States and the Commission to coordinate activities and positions vis-à-vis third countries and within international fora in those areas which are part of this strategy, incorporating where appropriate the associated countries of the 7th Framework Programme.

In that context, the Council calls on Member States and the Commission to collaborate within a dedicated configuration of CREST (Strategic Forum for International S&T Cooperation) to drive forward the European Partnership for S&T cooperation according to the mandate set out for CREST.

In the Council's opinion the success of this Partnership will be achieved by assuring the contribution and commitment of Member States and the Commission by making available to it appropriate information and experience acquired in connection with their respective cooperation activities including the outcome of evaluation and impact assessment of S&T collaboration with third countries.

Finally, the Council underlines the need to ensure the necessary coherence and complementarity between European and national instruments supporting research and those supporting S&T capacity-building, and invites the Commission to strengthen the relationship between the Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development (FP), the Pre-Accession Instrument (IPA), the European Development Fund (EDF), the financing instrument for development cooperation (DCI) and the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) as well as other relevant mechanisms.

As a conclusion, the Council considers that all specific procedures related to the implementation of the international cooperation strategy of the European Research Area must be examined within the framework of the general approach to the optimisation of the governance of the European Research Area, as foreseen by the Ljubljana Process.

CREST and International S&T Cooperation

The objective of CREST (Scientific and Technical Research Committee) will be to facilitate the further development, implementation and monitoring of the international dimension of ERA by the sharing of information and consultation between the partners (Member States and the Commission) with a view to identifying common priorities which could lead to coordinated or joint initiatives, and coordinating activities and positions vis-à-vis third countries and within international fora.

CREST will meet in a dedicated configuration (‘The Strategic Forum for International S&T Cooperation’) with high level representatives of Member States and the Commission. Its main activities within this framework will be to:

• Systematically sharing and structuring information on the S&T cooperation activities and objectives (whether ongoing or planned) of the various partners.
• Pooling relevant knowledge concerning third countries, in particular analyses of their S&T resources and capabilities.
• Ensuring regular consultation between the partners in order to identify their respective objectives and common priorities in terms of S&T cooperation with third countries (‘what and with whom?’).
• Where appropriate, coordinating activities of a similar nature implemented by Member States and the Community (with variable geometry).
• If necessary, proposing initiatives to be implemented with appropriate ways and means.
• Networking of Member States' and the Commission's scientific advisors in key third countries.