On 24 September, the European Commission published a communication entitled A strategic European Framework for international S&T cooperation. It calls on member states to jointly strengthen science and technology cooperation with non-EU countries, notably in the field of Information and Communication Technologies where Europe is a strong exporter.

The communication outlines core principles, which should underline European cooperation with the rest of the world and proposes specific lines of action to:

• strengthen the international dimension of the European Research Area (ERA), by integrating Europe's neighbours into the ERA and fostering strategic cooperation with key third countries through geographic and thematic targeting;
• improve the framework conditions for international cooperation in science and technology and for the promotion of European technologies worldwide. This includes the joint development of global large-scale research infrastructures (such as GEANT), support to mobility of researchers or management of intellectual property.
  

The communication is one of five policy initiatives planned by the Commission to follow up the 2007 Green Paper "The European Research Area: New Perspectives" and is a further step in the creation of the "fifth freedom" by removing barriers to the free movement of knowledge.

• European Commission
• Press release