Official website of the President of Russia

Approved on May 10, 2005 in Moscow by President of Russia Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister of Luxembourg Jean-Claude Juncker,
President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Durao Barroso and European Union High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security Javier Solana.

The St. Petersburg Summit of May 2003 agreed to reinforce cooperation with a view to creating a space of research and education, including cultural aspects. This should reinforce people-to-people contacts, promote common values and contribute to increase the competitiveness of the EU and Russian economies.

The EU and Russia have fostered good cooperation on research, with the renewal of the Science and Technology co-operation agreement in 2003 and the adoption, in 2002, of the Action Plan to enhance Science and Technology cooperation between the European Commission and Russia. Opportunities for the participation of Russian scientists and researchers in EU-funded activities have been extended via the 6th R&D Framework Programme.

In the field of education Russia has already initiated the integration into European Higher Education Area via its recent accession to the Bologna process and participation in the EU Tempus Programme. The recent creation of the EU Erasmus Mundus Programme opens the way for increased co-operation. There are also Russian participants in the EU Youth programme promoting exchanges and intercultural dialogue between young people, youth leaders and youth organisations.

Objective:

Capitalize on the strong EU and Russian intellectual heritage and knowledge capital to promote economic growth involving civil society of the EU and Russia and strengthening of competitiveness of economies in the EU and Russia.

Intensify links and exchanges in the fields of education, youth and culture and promote the identification and adoption of best practices.

1. Research, science and technology

Objective:

Enhance EU-Russia cooperation in the mutually agreed priority fields and create favourable conditions, corresponding to the interests of both parties, aimed at:

– Structuring a knowledge-based society in the EU and Russia;

– Promoting a high rate of competitiveness and economic growth by modernization of the national economies and implementation of advanced scientific achievements;

– Strengthening and optimizing the links between research and innovation;

– Maintaining of small and medium size entrepreneurship in the field of research and innovation.

Directions:

Further development of a dialogue to support joint efforts in elaboration and harmonization of the approach towards the creation of a EU/Russia common space in the field of research.

Joint identification of specific fields of cooperation in priority research domains such as space, new materials and nanotechnologies, life sciences, information society technologies and clean and renewable energy.

Development and implementation of measures aimed at strengthening systematic and structural nature of the cooperation in the field of science and technology and building up effective machinery for the establishment of partner links.

Effective utilization of knowledge, including the issues of intellectual property rights, and development of conditions to stimulate the marketing of innovation and quality improvement, in particular, in private business.

Instruments and measures.

The cooperation for the creation of the EU/Russia common space, in the field of research will be carried out via available and appropriate instruments as follows:

1. In order to intensify the dialogue in the field of research and development launch Permanent Partnership Council (PPC) in the short-term.

2. Implement the renewed Science and Technology co-operation Agreement, signed in the margins of the EU/Russia summit in Rome in November 2003. The joint EU–Russia Joint Committee created under the Agreement will carry out practical cooperation at the working level. The Joint Committee is expected to address the following issues:

3. Pursue on a regular basis an expert level interaction through working groups stipulated by the Joint Action Plan to enhance Science and Technology cooperation between the European Commission and Russia signed in 2002.

4. More effectively use available and appropriate mechanisms of interaction (i.e. PCA institutions, EC Framework Programmes, INTAS, ISTC, TACIS and EUREKA and the Russian federal research programmes) to accomplish the objectives of the EU/Russia common space in the field of research and innovation.

Through utilization of the mechanisms mentioned above, implement the following measures:

– Identify jointly which areas of the thematic priorities in the EU Framework Programme are suitable as specific fields of cooperation.

– Determine main short- and medium-term research tasks for each agreed field of cooperation included in the EU Framework Programme and elaborate a plan of practical actions aimed at strengthening cooperation in those areas;

– Develop and implement measures to support the participation of Russian research oriented organisations or scientists in EU/Russia cooperation in research and innovation, in particular within jointly agreed fields and in on – going projects ( IPs and NoEs ) , including through Russian funding for participation of Russian research actors;

– Identify prime actions including in particular the availability of timely information for the remaining period of FP6 aimed at strengthening proposal submission with Russian participation in order to favour a positive evaluation:

Establish an effective information exchange and analysis of Russian participation in the calls for proposals and further implement projects of the current and future Framework Programmes;

Enhance the effectiveness of the participation of National Contact Points of Russia in the existing network of NCPs in particular through the current INTAS ININ activity;

Encourage integration of leading Russian research institutions and teams in European research networks:

Promote networking and access to the electronic services between research libraries and data archives;

Integrate the work of researchers (through the 6FP, INTAS, ISTC, EUREKA etc.) to achieve common objectives in the identified fields and also related in environment, civilian security and non-proliferation, with an emphasis on the promotion of scientific excellence.

– Encourage the Russian participation in the preparatory consultative process for FP7 that is currently open, with a special emphasis on its international dimension and development of appropriate instruments to support EU/Russia cooperation;

– Review all issues regarding supporting measures to increase the mobility of researchers and students, in particular:

Identify fields of specific mutual interest to enhance mobility;

Consider the instruments of coordination and the mechanisms of consultations in this field;

Make recommendations for an improved and enhanced use of existing instruments to support mobility of both EU and Russian researchers thus improving the context of the creation of an EU/Russia common space in the field of research;

Facilitation of visa issuance by the EU MS for Russian researchers, using the flexibilities within the Schengen acquis and on the basis of reciprocity by Russia for European researchers;

Promote the participation of EU-based researchers in Russian programmes.

2. Education

Objectives:

1. Encourage integration and a closer co-operation within the framework of the new forming European Higher Education Area in accordance with the main provisions of the Bologna Process, aiming in particular at :

– adopting higher education’s comparable degrees;

– adopting a two-tier “bachelor-master” and as soon as possible a three-tier “bachelor-master-doctorate” education system;

– introducing a credit system, aimed at practicing the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) to check the volume of the taught subjects;

– promoting the academic mobility;

– cooperating in the provision of the learning quality;

– introducing integrated curricula at the higher education institutions;

– promoting life-long learning;

– modifying the management of the higher education institutions with a view to adapting students learning to the changes on the labour market;

– increasing the attractiveness of the higher education systems in the EU and Russia.

2. Encourage closer cooperation in the field of non-formal education for young people with the aim of :

– facilitating the integration of young people into society at large in encouraging their spirit of initiative;

– helping young people acquire knowledge, skills and competencies and recognising the value of such experiences;

– promoting intercultural dialogue and enhancing cooperation with partner neighbouring countries.

3. Promoting the development of life skills education programmes for youth (on smoking, physical exercise, drugs, alcohol, HIV/AIDS etc)

Actions and instruments:

To pursue these objectives, the following activities are regarded as prospective:

As regards objective 1 :

– stepping up university cooperation between the European Union and Russia;

– promoting student and teacher mobility between the said universities;

– assisting in training Russia’s national promoters of the Bologna Process;

– support of cooperation aimed at a closer link of awarding degrees by encouraging collaboration at the masters level and awarding joint or double diplomas;

– cooperation in the setting up in Russia of a system of monitoring and check-up of the quality and certification (accreditation) of curricula and higher education institutions as a whole, that could be compared to the highest world standards requirements as well as cooperation in the introduction of inner-university quality systems including quality control of the learning process under participation of students, teachers and external experts;

– provision of the Russian participation in the Erasmus Mundus Programme with a view to strengthening dialogue and mutual understanding between peoples and cultures through partnership projects and involvement of high-skill students awarded a master degree, as well Russian scientists;

– investigating means of promoting studies and training in Russia in the field of European Union law, EU economy, EU general and interdisciplinary studies, including training and retraining for government officials and post-graduate students, in accordance with the best practices in the EU. For this purpose there is agreement in principle on the foundation of a European Institute at the appropriate Russian Institute in Moscow (MGIMO);

– investigating means of reciprocally promoting Russian studies and Russian language in the EU and EU languages and studies in Russia at the appropriate level of competence.

As regards objective 2:

– promoting youth exchanges between the EU and Russia;

– promoting cooperation between youth organisations and youth leaders from the EU and Russia;

– promoting exchange of information and know how between youth organisations and youth structures.

As regards objective 3 :

– exchange of information, expertise, and best practises through joint seminars and work shops between the EU and the Russian Federation.

– human capacity building through seminars and twinning programmes between the EU and the Russian Federation.

Practical tools of Russia’s cooperation with Europe in these fields are regular ministerial meetings of the Bologna Process member nations and international Bologna Team, as well as the Tempus, Erasmus Mundus and Youth Programmes and the relevant external assistance instruments.

3. Culture

Objectives:

In order to pursue this overall objective, the following activities are regarded as prospective:

– the promotion of artistic and cultural projects with a European dimension (festivals, master classes, exhibitions, new productions, tours, translations and conferences);

– the promotion of short-, medium-, and long-term cooperation between museums to enhance cultural ties, conservation and research of common European heritage;

– the promotion of the links between artistic universities and institutions in order to create new cultural resources;

– the training of professionals in the audiovisual sector, promotion and distribution of cinematographic works and audiovisual programmes and support for film festivals