On the proposal for a Council decision on the renewal of the Agreement on cooperation in science and technology between the European Community and Ukraine

Ukraine has a long tradition of science and technology excellence and despite the difficulties of the last years and Russia’s unlawful and unprovoked war of aggression, Ukraine still has first class science and scientists, and remains an important science, technology and innovation (STI) actor in the neighbourhood of the Union. Cooperation between the Union and Ukraine has traditionally been very active notably in the fields of advanced/new materials, IT-technology, physics and astronomy, engineering, agricultural technology, nanotechnology, biotechnology and their applications across various sectors such as aviation, energy, and biomedicine, in particular immunotherapies for cancer.

The ‘Agreement on cooperation in science and technology between the European Community and Ukraine’ was signed in Copenhagen on 4 July 2002 and was concluded originally until 31 December 2002. Article 12 point (b) of the Agreement provides for a possibility of renewal by common agreement between the Parties for additional periods of five years. The Agreement has been renewed four times: in 2003, 2011, 2015 and 2020.

The renewal of the Agreement for an additional period of five years is in the mutual interest of both Parties to the Agreement in order to continue facilitating cooperation between the EU and Ukraine in common science and technology (S&T) priority areas leading to mutual benefits as laid out in Article 4 of the Agreement.

The substance of the proposed decision is to extend the existing Agreement. It will in all other regards be identical to that of the content of the current Agreement. As such, the renewed Agreement will not create new or additional rights and obligations for either of the Parties, but instead it will extend in time the legal regime already existing between the Parties in the field of S&T cooperation.

The content of the Agreement will remain unchanged and will not create new or additional rights and obligations for either of the Parties, but instead it will extend in time the legal regime already existing between the Parties in the field of S&T cooperation.

For the reasons stated above, the Rapporteur believes that it is in the Union’s interest to renew the ‘Agreement on cooperation in science and technology between the European Community and Ukraine’ for a new period of five years.

The rapporteur declares under his exclusive responsibility that he did not receive input from any entity or person to be mentioned in this Annex pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure.