L 57/10 Official Journal of the European Communities 27.2.2001 COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 382/2001 of 26 February 2001 concerning the implementation of projects promoting cooperation and commercial relations between the European Union and the industrialised countries of North America, the Far East and Australasia and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1035/1999 THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 133 and Article 308 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament ('), Whereas: 1) The promotion of cooperation and commercial relations with the industrialised countries should be pursued where it is in the mutual interest of the Community and the partner country concerned. The European Parliament has adopted various resolu- tions on relations between the European Union and the United States of America in 1994, 1998 and 1999. The European Union and the United States of America agreed to strengthen their relationship in the Transat- lantic Declaration of 1990, the New Transatlantic Agenda of 1995, the Transatlantic Economic Partnership of 1998 and the Bonn Declaration of 1999. The common commercial policy should be complemented by further dissemination of general knowledge through more intensive dialogue between the actors in EU-US relations. The European Parliament has adopted a resolution and the Economic and Social Committee an opinion on relations between the European Union and Canada in 1996, calling for closer relations with Canada. The Euro- pean Communities and Canada signed a Framework Agreement for commercial and economic coopera- tion () in 1976 and a Declaration on EC-Canada rela- tions in 1990, and agreed to strengthen their relation- ship in the Joint Action Plan and the Joint Political Declaration of 1996. EU-Canada relations have become more diversified and Canada is a key partner in multilat- eral trade areas and in issues relating to global challenges and the Common Foreign and Security Policy. It is there- fore necessary to further strengthen these relations by means of an intensified process of consultation and cooperation on an increasing number of issues. Activities covered by specific instruments, such as the Agreements between the Community and the United States of America and between the Community and Canada establishing programmes for cooperation in higher education and training, shall be complemented and not affected by this Regulation. (') Opinion delivered on 31 January 2001 (not yet published in the Official Journal). () O] L 260, 24.9.1976, p. 2. () 0] 0] 0] The European Union and Japan decided to intensify their dialogue and to strengthen their cooperation and part- nership in the Joint Declaration of 1991. The European Parliament has adopted a Resolution on the Communi- cation from the Commission to the Council on ‘Europe and Japan: the next steps’ (}). The Council's conclusions to the Commission's Communication on Japan recog- nised the distinct and specific problems of market access in Japan. The Council considered that priority should be given to improving access to the Japanese market. In the light of this, the Council adopted Council Regulation (EC) No 1035/1999 of 11 May 1999 on implementa- tion by the Commission of a programme of specific measures and actions to improve access of European Union goods and cross-border services to Japan (%). This Regulation will expire on 31 December 2001. The results evaluating the Commission programme described above have shown the usefulness and effectiveness of the programme. It is therefore deemed necessary to continue implementing the Commission programmes described in the said Regulation. This Regulation is without prejudice to the Council Decision 92/278/EEC of 18 May 1992 on the consolidation of the EC-Japan Centre for Industrial-Cooperation (°) which remains valid. Regulation (EC) No 1035/1999 should be repealed and replaced by this Regulation. Bilateral cooperation in economic and other areas with the Republic of Korea should be enhanced in accordance with the principles of the Framework Agreement on Trade and Cooperation with Korea, the European Parlia- ment's opinion, and the Council's Conclusions on the Korean Peninsula. The European Union should support market principles in Korea and promote the removal of existing barriers to trade and investment. The European Union and Australia agreed to strengthen their relationship and to cooperate across the many areas in which they have shared interests in the Joint Declaration of 1997. With a view to further strengthen these relations, an intensified process of consultation and cooperation on an increasing number of bilateral and international issues is necessary. The European Union and New Zealand agreed in the Joint Declaration of 1999 to strengthen their relation- ship and cooperation based on broadly shared interest to the mutual benefit of their peoples, and to endow their mutual relations with a long term perspective. C 304, 6.10.1997, p. 119. L 127, 21.5.1999, p. 1. L 144, 26.5.1992, p. 19.