The task force was set up late last year and is made up of representatives from the ACP secretariat and the European Commission. Its brief is to prepare a 'shared vision' of S&T co-operation and to provide an action plan to show how ACPs can use instruments such as the Sixth Framework Programme, to carry out co-operative activities. It will also establish a regular dialogue between Europe and ACPs on S&T cooperation. The outcome of these discussions will feed into the High-Level EU-ACP meeting that will take place in Cape Town in July 2002.

Closer links

The task force was born out of a meeting of ACP ambassadors to the EU which was addressed by Commissioner for Research, Philippe Busquin. He took the opportunity to explain the relevance of ERA to ACP countries and spelled out the key points of his report The International Dimension of the European Research Area. He said: "Science and technology cooperation with all third countries constitutes a strategic element for the progress of European science and, as such, ERA is conceived as an open space for scientists from all over the world." Mr Busquin also explained that there are "two fully complementary approaches to S&T cooperation, namely the opening of European-oriented thematic priorities to researchers from the third countries, and the targeting of sustainable development priorities in these countries with particular emphasis on developing and emerging economies". He stated that there must be close links between research cooperation and the EU's external relations policies and instruments. The ACP ambassadors want to see their countries actively engaged in the emerging knowledge society and stressed the need for all parties to implement bi-regional action and commitments made in global forums.