Geological surveys (10–12 January 2000)

among the geological surveys of the countries of the Visegrad co-operation
Visegrád, 11th of January 2000

 

RNDr. Miloš Ružieka, Director, Czech Geological Institute, Praha
Prof. Tadeusz Peryt, Deputy Dir. General, Polish Geological Institute, Warszawa
RNDr. Jozef Franzen, Director General of the Geology and Natural Resources Division, Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic, Bratislava and
Dr. István G.Farkas, Dir. General, Hungarian Geological Survey, Budapest

(hereinafter referred to as "Parties") met in Visegrád, Hungary, on 10–12 January, 2000, to strengthen the co-operative links among the Geological Surveys of the countries involved and to analyse the situation of geosciences and national Geological Surveys concerning the European Union accession. As a result of the meeting, this "Memorandum of Understanding" (hereinafter referred to as the Memorandum) was concluded.

 

1.2 Our countries are in the accession phase to the European Union. The dialogues among the EU and the countries involved in the accession negotiations require a major effort from all the national agencies, including the geoscience community and the state geological organisation of the given country. Meanwhile we realised that geology and geophysics are generally treated as national issues, we do believe that there are duties and assignments for the national surveys.

 

2.1 To augment the Parties' capabilities to set up in harmonised way when and where necessary, as members of the Visegrád co-operation,

 

2.2 To provide a framework for the exchange of views of the Parties concerning the procedure of the European institutional accession;

 

2.3 To declare that the Czech Republic, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Hungary have a perfect forum to work out ways and means to reach a closer co-operation (inter alia) along the European accession procedure: the Visegrád co-operation. The Parties are to declare this Memorandum as a document of expert level inside of the Visegrad co-operation. This Memorandum would serve as a framework for the co-operative efforts in the geology and geophysics as well.

 

Article 3—Co-operative Activities

3.1 Parties declare the existing co-operations between individual organisations to be very important and successful, and they will extend them in all possible ways. Parties decide to establish a four-side co-operation with the aim of the deepening the existing bilateral/multilateral connections.

 

3.2 Main forum of the co-operative efforts will be the informal meeting of the first officers of the national Geological Surveys of the countries involved. These meetings should be organised when necessary and where it is convenient.

 

3.3 Parties will inform each other about the project proposals in different international/multilateral programmes, and they will promote the joint participation.

 

4.1 The Parties express their interest in becoming members of the EuroGeoSurveys(EGS), the association of the national Geological Surveys of the European Union member states. The timely objective is to reach a special status (interim until the final accession) of the Parties, similar to the associated states of the EU (currently Ice-land, Norway and Switzerland).

4.2 The Parties will promote the harmonised steps to reach the objective defined in the previous point.

 

5.1 The Memorandum shall enter into force upon signature by all Parties, and remain in force until terminated. It may be amended or extended by mutual written declaration or by due written resolutions of the meeting of the Survey representatives, similar to this meeting at Visegrád.

 

5.2 Any Party may terminate its activity at any time upon written notice to the other Parties. The co-operation defined in this Memorandum may be terminated by the joint declaration of the Parties.

 

Done at Visegrád, Hungary in the English language in four copies, dated eleventh of January, year of 2000.

 

For the Czech Geological Institute
RNDr. Miloš Ružieka

 

For the Polish Geological Institute

Prof. Tadeusz Peryt

 

For the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic
RNDr. Jozef Franzen

 

For the Hungarian Geological Survey
Dr. István G. Farkas