PURPOSE: to renew the scientific and technological cooperation agreement between the European Community and Brazil.

NON-LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Decision (EU) 2018/343 concerning the renewal of the Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and the Federative Republic of Brazil.

CONTENT: the Council decided to approve, on behalf of the Union, the renewal of the Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and Brazil , for an additional period of five years.

The Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and Brazil entered into force on 7 August 2007. It was valid for a period of five years and may be renewed by agreement between the Parties.

The agreement was renewed in 2012 for an additional five years.

The exchange of letters between the Parties, dated 14 November 2016 and 5 January 2017, confirmed their interest in renewing the Agreement for another five years.

Cooperation under this Agreement may cover all the areas of mutual interest in which both Parties are implementing or supporting research and technological development activities. Such activities shall be designed to promote the advancement of science, industrial competitiveness, and economic and social development.

Cooperative activities shall be conducted on the basis of the following principles:

mutual benefit based on an overall balance of advantages; reciprocal access to the activities of research and technological development undertaken by each Party; timely exchange of information which may affect cooperative activities; appropriate protection of intellectual property rights.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 5.3.2018.

The European Parliament adopted by 504 votes to 35, with 95 abstentions , a legislative resolution on the draft Council decision concerning the renewal of the Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and the Federative Republic of Brazil.

Parliament gave its consent to the renewal of the Agreement .

The Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and Brazil entered into force on 7 August 2007. It was concluded initially for five years and may be renewed by consensus on a five yearly basis.

The Committee on Industry, Research and Energy adopted the report by Angelo CIOCCA (ENF, IT) on the draft Council decision concerning the renewal of the Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and Brazil.

The committee recommended that the European Parliament give its consent to the renewal of the Agreement.

The Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and Brazil entered into force on 7 August 2007. The Agreement was concluded initially for five years and may be renewed by consensus on a five yearly basis. Accordingly, Parliament is now being called upon to give its consent to the second renewal.

As stated in the explanatory memorandum accompanying the Recommendation, Brazil has made significant progress in science, technology and innovation (STI) policy since the last renewal of the Agreement ( Decision 2012/646/EU ).

Brazil continues to be in the forefront of agricultural research, as well as research into tropical and infective diseases . It is also a world-class player in the fields of information and communication technologies, nanotechnologies, and energy and has some of the best universities in Latin America. These research areas are of interest to the EU.

The Agreement covers a wide range of research fields falling under the EU research and innovation framework programme. Research into renewables, and second-generation advanced biofuels in particular, has been singled out as one of the mutually beneficial priorities for research cooperation.

Among non-associated third countries, Brazil was the sixth most active country under FP7 (2007-2013) and has to date been the fifth most active under Horizon 2020.

Given that its potential as a research and innovation partner is continuing to grow, Brazil should be viewed as a strategic partner for the EU in Latin America.

PURPOSE: to renew the Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and Brazil.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the act only if Parliament has given its consent to the act.

BACKGROUND: the Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and Brazil entered into force on 7 August 2007. It was valid for a period of five years and may be renewed by agreement between the Parties.

The Agreement was last renewed in 2012 for an additional five years.

The exchange of letters between the Parties, dated 14 November 2016 and 5 January 2017, confirmed their interest in renewing the Agreement for another five years .

CONTENT: the draft Council Decision aims to approve, on behalf of the Union, the renewal of the Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and Brazil for an additional period of five years.

For further details, see the summary of the Commission's initial legislative proposal dated 22.6.2017 .

PURPOSE: to renew the Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and Brazil.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the act only if Parliament has given its consent to the act.

BACKGROUND: the Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and Brazil entered into force on 7 August 2007. It was valid for a period of five years and may be renewed by agreement between the Parties.

The Agreement was last renewed in 2012 for an additional five years.

The exchange of letters between the Parties, dated 14 November 2016 and 5 January 2017, confirmed their interest in renewing the Agreement for another five years .

CONTENT: the draft Council Decision aims to approve, on behalf of the Union, the renewal of the Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and Brazil for an additional period of five years.

For further details, see the summary of the Commission's initial legislative proposal dated 22.6.2017 .

PURPOSE: to renew the Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and Brazil.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the act only if Parliament has given its consent to the act.

BACKGROUND: the Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and Brazil entered into force on 7 August 2007.

The Agreement provides that it ‘shall initially be valid for a period of five years and may be renewed by agreement between the Parties after evaluation during the penultimate year of each subsequent renewal period’.

The Agreement was last renewed in 2012 and remains in force until 7 August 2017, unless the Parties renew it for the next five-year period.

Since the Agreement was last renewed, Brazil has made significant advances in its science, technology and innovation (STI) policy, which has contributed to the institutional strengthening of the STI system.

Brazil remains at the forefront of research in the field of agriculture, as well as in tropical and infectious diseases. It is also a world-class player in the fields of information and communication technologies, nanotechnologies and energy and it hosts some of Latin America’s top universities. These research areas are of interest to the European Union.

The links between Brazil and the EU in science, technology and innovation have been growing through intense cooperation at EU and Member State level.

Cooperation between the EU and the Brazilian research community led, among other results, to the development of a new drug for Chagas disease (already registered with the Food and Drug Administration to start clinical testing) and to the development of a new biomass pre-treatment process for advanced bioethanol (allowing the set-up of the first commercial advanced bioethanol plant in Europe).

It is, therefore, in the EU’s interest to renew the Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and Brazil for a new period of five years.

This is the purpose of this proposal.

CONTENT: with this proposal for a decision, it is planned to call on the Council to renew the Agreement on cooperation in the field of science and technology between the European Community and Brazil for a further period of 5 years.

The content of the renewed Agreement is identical to that of the current Agreement.

Cooperation would be maintained for the period from 8 August 2017 to 7 August 2022.

BUDGETARY IMPACT: the implementation of the Agreement entails a financial envelope of EUR 345 000 from 2017 to 2022 for expenditure on human and administrative resources.