Key Benefits:
President of the Republic,
On the report of the Prime Minister and the Minister for Foreign and European Affairs,
Seen them articles 52 to 55 of the Constitution;
Vu le Decree No. 53-192 of 14 March 1953 amended on the ratification and publication of international commitments undertaken by France;
Vu le Decree No. 94-560 of 30 June 1994 issuing the treaty of understanding, friendship and cooperation between the French Republic and the Republic of Lithuania, done in Vilnius on 14 May 1992,
Decrete:
The agreement on cultural, educational, scientific, technological and technical cooperation between the Government of the French Republic and the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, signed in Vilnius on 4 April 2003, will be published in the Official Journal of the French Republic.
The Prime Minister and the Minister for Foreign and European Affairs are responsible for the execution of this decree, which will be published in the Official Journal of the French Republic.
A C C O R D
CULTURAL, ÉDUCATIVE, SCIENTIFIC, TECHNOLOGICAL AND TECHNICAL COOPERATION IN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE FRENCH REPUBLIC AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITUANIA
The Government of the French Republic and the Government of the Republic of Lithuania,
the Parties,
referring to the Treaty of Understanding, Friendship and Cooperation between France and Lithuania signed at Vilnius on 14 May 1992;
- respectful of the principles of the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe in Helsinki and the Paris Charter on New Europe;
― convinced of the importance of their cooperation for mutual understanding and for the construction of the European cultural space;
― considering the bonds of friendship and deep cultural affinities that have long united the French and Lithuanian peoples;
– wishing to strengthen these ties, to promote mutual knowledge of their culture and to this end to develop their cooperation in the fields of culture, education, science, technology and technology, and to promote knowledge of the language of the other State;
– taking into account the provisions of the Bologna Declaration on the European Space of Higher Education, signed on 19 June 1999,
agreed that:
Article 1
Each Party shall promote the dissemination of the culture of the other State in its territory.
The Parties facilitate contacts between personalities of the intellectual and artistic world of the two States, and in particular support cooperation between experts in cultural management, training in the trades of culture and heritage.
Parties shall ensure the widest possible dissemination of books and other publications from one State to another and shall support cooperation between publishing agencies of the two States to increase publishing and translation activities.
Parties support collaboration in protecting the rights of creators (rights of authors and neighbouring rights).
Parties promote the exchange of artistic events (theatre, music, dance, plastic arts, etc.). They favour co-productions, meetings of artists and cultural professionals, as well as training, in particular by organizing internships or awarding scholarships.
Parties shall assist and promote any form of cooperation between archives, museums, libraries and other cultural institutions by facilitating access to their funds to specialists and researchers from the other State. These facilities will be mutually granted under the regulations in force in the other State and may be subject to special agreements between the specialized institutions concerned.
Both Parties encourage cooperation in the area of protection of the preservation of cultural heritage.
Article 2
The Parties shall encourage the activity of existing cultural institutions or which would come to be established in their respective territories by the other State, such as cultural centres, cooperation centres, documentation centres, library libraries, and shall take, within the framework of their existing legislation, all provisions that may facilitate their operation.
Article 3
Each Party shall encourage the teaching and dissemination in its territory of the language of the other State. Both Parties shall contribute to any form of cooperation in the field of education such as:
― the activities of French and Lithuanian teachers and readers of secondary and higher education;
― participation, as part of academic cooperation, of students and specialists in French and Lithuanian language courses and seminars;
• the exchange of students and students;
- cooperation between schools, especially in the context of apparel;
– cooperation between higher education and research institutions;
- the exchange of scientific and educational information and publications;
– the development of French teaching in Lithuania and the development of bilingual channels at all levels of the education system, as well as the development of Lithuanian teaching in France;
collaboration in the drafting of French textbooks and learning methods;
- educational cooperation in the organization and management of the educational system, as well as in the training of trainers and distance learning;
- cooperation in vocational training and technical education;
– cooperation in the areas of linguistic research and translation-interpretariat.
Parties encourage mutual recognition of certificates, diplomas and titles issued by their higher education and research institutions.
Article 4
Parties promote the development of direct exchanges in the areas of broadcasting, television, the press and cinema, in particular among organizations and professionals, and focus on training activities.
Article 5
Parties encourage cooperation between their higher education and research institutions, and between their scientific communities in areas of mutual interest in both accurate and applied sciences, technology and human and social sciences.
In particular, Parties support:
– exchanges of scientists, technical staff and experts;
- scientific and technological research stays;
– the organization of conferences, seminars and expert meetings;
- direct links between research centres or laboratories;
― the realization of scientific and/or technological research projects in the perspective of the construction of the European scientific research space;
- exchange of scientific and technical information and documentation;
- measures to ensure, in accordance with their existing national legislation and regulations, a fair distribution of intellectual property rights, where the dissemination and/or operation of the results of the joint work in the context of the cooperation established by this Agreement are likely to confer such rights. The distribution of these rights may be subject to specific arrangements.
In order to achieve these objectives, Parties may develop long- or short-term joint programmes or enter into specific agreements promoting cooperation in scientific and technological research.
Article 6
Parties shall continue to cooperate as closely as possible in technical areas in accordance with agreed priorities.
The French Party is prepared to assist in public management assistance, including the training of administrative frameworks, legal cooperation and the implementation of economic reforms.
This competition takes the form of expertise, advice and training in France or Lithuania. Language upgrades are organized, as appropriate, for future trainees.
Article 7
Parties promote exchanges in the areas of youth and sport. They focus on youth training and direct contacts between governmental and non-governmental organizations in charge of this training.
Parties shall promote the participation of youth in the summer courses organized by the other Party.
Article 8
The Parties shall encourage the various forms of decentralized cooperation, complementary to cooperation among States: direct relations between individuals and institutions, twinning, cooperation and exchange among local authorities.
Article 9
Parties shall work together on projects of common interest in multilateral programmes, including those of the European Union, the Council of Europe and United Nations bodies, within the framework of their programmes of cultural, educational, scientific, technological and technical cooperation.
Article 10
In order to implement the principles of this Agreement, an intergovernmental joint commission for cultural, educational, scientific, technological and technical cooperation is established (hereinafter referred to as the Commission). It meets at least once every three years, alternately in France and Lithuania, in order to take stock of the general exchanges carried out, to identify the priorities and orientations of the future cooperation, to define an action programme and the practical modalities of its implementation and to examine, if necessary, the general problems that could arise in the implementation of this Agreement.
The Commission is co-chaired by the heads of both delegations. The coordination of the work of the Commission is carried out by the French and Lithuanian Ministries of Foreign Affairs.
Article 11
As part of their respective regulations in force, the Parties shall endeavour to create for participants in the exchanges provided for in this Agreement conditions favourable to the entry into the territory, residence, movement and cultural and scientific activities provided for in the programmes established under this Agreement. Parties shall endeavour to facilitate the movement of goods necessary for the realization of their cooperation.
The Parties define in the form of a special arrangement, diplomatically, the status of their cooperation personnel. This provision is applicable in particular to French teachers and readers, invited to Lithuania for at least one academic year.
Article 12
Questions relating to the interpretation and application of this Agreement shall, as appropriate, be dealt with through diplomatic channels.
Article 13
Each Party shall notify the other of the procedures required by national legislation for the entry into force of this Agreement; the latter shall take effect on the first day of the second month following the date of receipt of the last notification.
This Agreement shall be concluded for a period of five years. Its validity will be extended by tacit renewal of five years in five years, unless one of the Parties notify the other, in writing and with a notice of one year before the expiry of the current validity period, its decision to denounce it.
Done at Vilnius on 4 April 2003.
in original double copy, each in French and Lithuanian languages, both texts being equally authentic.
For the Government
of the French Republic
Christmas Lenoir
Minister Delegate
European Affairs
For the Government
of the Republic of Lithuania
Antanas Valionis
Minister
Foreign Affairs
Done in Paris, August 26, 2009.
Nicolas Sarkozy
By the President of the Republic:
The Prime Minister,
François Fillon
Minister for Foreign Affairs
and European,
Bernard Kouchner
