Brussels, 16/11/2000 (Agence Europe) - The president of the Research Council, Roger-Gérard Schwartzenberg and Commissioner Philippe Busquin signed, on Thursday morning in Brussels, with Russian Science Minister Alexander Dondukov, the scientific and technological cooperation agreement between the European Community and the Russian Federation. The signing of the agreement had been delayed pending the opinion of the European Parliament (which had adjourned its vote as a sign of protest against the continued war in Chechnya). The Parliament finally gave its opinion in October this year and the Council was able to formally approve the agreement which covers a period up to 2002 in fields such as research on the environment, biosciences, agriculture, forests, fishing, industrial technologies, meteorology, non-nuclear energies, transport and the information society.