Renewing agreement would be in “mutual interest”, Commission says
The EU should extend its agreement on science and technology cooperation with Ukraine for another five years, the European Commission has recommended.
A science and technology agreement between the two was first signed in 2002 and has since been renewed four times. The current agreement, reached in 2020, is due to expire on 8 November.
In a recommendation to the Council of the EU governments, the Commission said the phrasing of the renewed agreement should be identical to the existing one.
Extending the agreement is in the “mutual interest” of the EU and Ukraine, the Commission said.
Intensifying cooperation
It said: “Cooperation in research and innovation between the EU and Ukraine has been intensifying steadily over the past years.
“The renewal of the agreement will allow the EU and Ukraine to have better access to scientific knowledge produced in the EU and Ukraine respectively, and to engage in more cooperation activities leading to additional exchange of knowledge and technologies.”
The Commission said there is a long-standing tradition of science and technology in Ukraine, and that this has continued despite Russia’s invasion of the country in February 2022.
Still first-class
“Ukraine still has first-class science and scientists, and remains an important science, technology and innovation actor in the neighbourhood of the Union,” it noted.
The Commission pointed out that cooperation between the EU and Ukraine has been particularly strong in fields including advanced materials, physics, astronomy, engineering and energy.
A complementary agreement sets out the terms of Ukraine’s association to the EU’s 2021-27 R&I programme, Horizon Europe.
In an update on this association, the Commission said Ukraine had reached 223 participations in Horizon Europe by the end of June, and is hoping to beat its 336 participations in the predecessor programme.
Source: Research Professional News
