The European Parliament adopted by 519 votes to 5, with 74 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.

Brazil is a key player in any future global climate change and sustainability scenario, the country is a valuable partner in biodiversity research and in any ecosystems-based approach to addressing environmental challenges. It is 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 agreement should allow both Parties to enhance the cooperation and develop a more strategic partnership by increasing the scale and scope of existing cooperation, by addressing commonly key societal challenges and by promoting reciprocal access to programmes and funding. It will also allow to increase regional cooperation where appropriate.

PURPOSE: to renew the Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and the Federative Republic of 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: by Decision 2005/781/EC, the Council approved the conclusion of the Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and the Federative Republic of Brazil. The Agreement, which entered into force on 7 August 2007, was initially valid for a period of five years and could be renewed by mutual agreement between the Parties after evaluation during the penultimate year of each subsequent renewal period.

By Decisions 2012/646/EU and (EU) 2018/343, the Council approved the renewal of the Agreement for an additional period of five years each time. The exchange of letters between the parties, dated 11 May 2021 and 24 May 2021, confirmed their interest in renewing the Agreement for a further five years.

Since the last renewal of the agreement, Brazil has continued to make progress in the development of science, technology and innovation (STI). The country can be considered a 'scientific powerhouse' on the Latin American continent. It continues to be the EU's main STI partner in the region, and research and innovation (R&I) cooperation remains an important and positive element of the EU's overall relationship with the country.

The main instruments of cooperation are the EU Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation. During the period covered by ‘Horizon 2020’ (2014-2020), cooperation between the EU and the Brazilian research community has led, among other results, to:

- the development of transatlantic marine research & innovation within the All-Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance, based on the Belém Statement with the EU and South Africa;

- the important collaboration on health research to address global challenges such as the fight against the Zika virus;

- the fruitful collaboration for tackling COVID-19 needs to be highlighted, with Brazilian entities taking part in two projects under the ‘emergency calls’ launched by the European Commission, as well as under multilateral initiatives, in particular Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness (GloPID-R);

- a positive involvement of Brazilian entities in research infrastructures (RI) projects has contributed the mapping of RIs in Latin American and Caribbean countries;

- the intensified cooperation in sustainability-related areas contributing to the Green Deal, e.g. in fresh water management and biodiversity and also the possibility of further actions under a 'Team Europe' approach, on climate-related topics such as forest degradation, deforestation and sustainable agriculture;

- cooperation on sustainable, greener and safer aviation, smart and sustainable cities, as well as on key digital topics, including 5G, the internet of things and cloud computing under Horizon 2020;

- bilateral cooperation in several areas namely disaster prevention and crisis management, monitoring of wildfires and forests degradation by means of remote sensing; climate change and critical raw materials.

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

This decision should allow both Parties to enhance the cooperation and develop a more strategic partnership by increasing the scale and scope of existing cooperation, by addressing commonly key societal challenges and by promoting reciprocal access to programmes and funding. It will also allow to increase regional cooperation where appropriate.