Q: Who can participate in an Article 185 initiative?

A: Article 185 of the Treaty is addressed to the Member States. However, since funding will be provided from FP7, the participation of candidate countries, associated States and third countries could be taken into consideration, depending on the FP7 Rules. Therefore : • EFTA countries would be allowed to participate since they have a permanent Association Agreement which associates them fully to the Framework Programme. • Associated States would also be allowed to participate if they have signed a S&T cooperation agreement covering the ongoing Framework Programme or the part of it related to the topic of the Article 185 proposal. • third countries could also be involved if they have concluded a S&T cooperation agreement covering the ongoing Framework Programme or the part of it related to the topic of the Article 185 proposal. Moreover, the dedicated structure for the involvement of non-EU Member States which will have to be established should correspond to the specific needs and objectives of the participating States and address issues such as the rights and equal treatment of all participating States.