4d.Progress report.
This report serves to document research conducted under a reimbursable agreement between ARS and the Department of Defenses’ European Command (EUCOM). Additional details of research can be found in the report of the parent project plan 0210-22310-002-00D, International Cooperative Programs. The Azores Cooperative Initiative Program (ACIP), or rather the requirement to engage in cooperative initiatives with the Azores, is mandated in the 1995 U.S.-Portugal Agreement on Cooperation and Defense (95 ACD) and further defined in the Final Minute (95 ACD-FM) to that agreement. The overall premise of the 95 ACD is to maintain unlimited access by U.S. forces to the facilities at Lajes Air Force Base, Azores. ACIP was created and has been implemented through DOD financial resources and relationships with civilian federal agencies and other non-governmental institutions as part of the USG commitment to the 95 ACD.

ARS continued several specific cooperative agreements and grants with various cooperators, using funds provided under this agreement, to implement ACIP. These projects are: (1) integrated pest management program for horticultural crops in Azores, Portugal and the United States (Project No. 0210-22310-002-61G); (2) Sustainable fisheries in Azores, Portugal (Project No. 0210-22310-002-59S), project to be cancelled; (3) An instrument for economic policy analysis for the Azores (Project No. 0210-22310-002-58S); (4) Epidemiology and control of Leptospirosis in the Azores (Project No. 0210-22310-002-57S); (5) Training exchanges with the Azores (Project No. 0210-22310-002-56S); (6) Civil protection and geological risk monitoring (Project No. 0210-22310-002-55S); (7) Improvement of the Azores health care system (Project No. 0210-22310-002-54S); and (8) U.S.-Regional Government of the Azores (RGA) technical cooperation for rural development (Project No. 0210-22310-002-34S). A new project was executed with Michigan Technical University through ARS-Ames to monitor air pollution impacts on weather from North America (3625-11630-001-03S).

Individual progress reports for these ACIP projects may be found using their project numbers shown above.