Na podlagi tretjega odstavka 63. člena zakona o zunanjih zadevah (Uradni list RS, št. 1/91-I) izdaja Vlada Republike Slovenije

Ratificira se Memorandum o soglasju med Vlado Republike Slovenije in Vlado Združenih držav Amerike (Fulbrightov program izmenjave), podpisan v Ljubljani, 8. decembra 1992.

Sporazum se v izvirniku v slovenskem in angleškem jeziku glasi:

Vlada Republike Slovenije (v nadaljnjem besedilu Vlada RS) in Vlada Združenih držav Amerike (v nadaljnjem besedilu Vlada ZDA) sta se sporazumeli o naslednjih pogojih za izmenjavo diplomantov, raziskovalcev z doktoratom in predavateljev pod pokroviteljstvom Fulbrightovega programa. Namen obeh vlad je, da naj bi bil ta mehanizem obravnavan kot začasna, ad hoc rešitev, namenjena za ohranjanje akademske izmenjave med Republiko Slovenijo in Združenimi državami Amerike dokler ne pride do novih pogajanj, ki bi vodila v razširitev ali zamenjavo programov. Amandmaji se lahko sprejmejo kadarkoli, vendar pa se morata obe vladi z njimi izrecno strinjati.
I. točka: Oblikovan bo ad hoc dvostranski odbor (v nadaljnjem besedilu: odbor) za svetovanje Vlade RS in Vlade ZDA v zvezi z vsemi zadevami, ki se nanašajo na predlagani program izmenjave.
II. točka V prvem letu bosta odbor sestavljala podsekretar Službe za mednarodne kulturne, izobraževalne in znanstvene zadeve Ministrstva za zunanje zadeve Republike Slovenije (v nadaljnjem besedilu Ministrstvo) in uradnik za javne zadeve Veleposlaništva ZDA (v nadaljnjem besedilu Veleposlaništvo). V naslednjih letih bo odbor sestavljalo 8 oseb, od katerih bo 4 imenovalo Ministrstvo in 4 Veleposlaništvo. Da bi v svoje delo vnesli različne izkušnje, bo po en član z vsake strani predstavljal Univerzo in znanstvene kroge in po en član z vsake strani zasebni, nevladni sektor. Minister in Veleposlanik bosta častna člana odbora poleg 8 imenovanih članov.
III. točka: Program bo dvostranski in bo zagotavljal izmenjavo približno enakega števila štipendistov vsako leto, pri čemer se bo enakost določala po številu štipendistov mesečno.
IV. točka: Odbor bo priporočal ukrepe, ki bodo določali in zagotavljali naslednje:
A) Priprava izčrpnega predloga, ki bo opredeljeval programe za naslednje proračunsko leto, najzanimivejša akademska področja, vrste štipendij in podobne splošne smernice, ki jih bosta potrdili vladi obeh držav.
B) Vzpostavitev mehanizma za letno objavo razpisa prijav državljanov Republike Slovenije za Fulbrightove štipendije.
C) Vzpostavitev mehanizma za sprejem prijav državljanov Republike Slovenije, ki bo zagotavljal odprto konkurenco tako, da bo vsak, ki ga to zanima, kandidiral na enakopravni ravni.
D) Oblikovanje načina, ki bo presodil ustreznost oddanih prijav.
E) Oblikovanje strokovnih delovnih skupin, ki bodo presojale utemeljenosti vsakega predloga za študij, raziskovanje in predavanja in posredovale v nadaljnjo obravnavo komisijam za razgovore in odboru.
F) Ustanovitev komisij za razgovore z vsemi tistimi kandidati, ki so opravili presojo pod točko D točke IV. Komisije za razgovore naj bi sestavljali štirje člani, ki zastopajo Vlado RS, Vlado ZDA ter slovenske in ameriške akademske kroge. Vsako leto bo komisija pripravila sistem ocenjevanja razgovorov (za ocenjevanje kandidatov glede na znanje angleškega jezika, kakovost in možnost izvedbe predlaganih programov, študije uporabnosti področja dela posameznega kandidata za potrebe vsake države in akademskih priporočil oziroma priporočilnih pisem vsakega kandidata).
G) Predstavitev seznama prednostnega vrstnega reda glavnih in rezervnih kandidatov, sestavljenega na podlagi rezultatov razgovorov, ki bo predložen v odobritev Odboru J. Williama Fulbrighta za tuje štipendije.
H) Pregled prošenj ameriških študentov, znanstvenikov in raziskovalcev, ki bi želeli namestitev v Sloveniji.
I) Namestitev ameriških kandidatov za štipendije na univerzah in raziskovalnih inštitutih.
V. točka: Finančne obveznosti za izvedbo programa izmenjave so naslednje:
A) Vsaka vlada bo nosila svoje stroške v svoji valuti, vključno s publiciteto, delom odbora, sestanki strokovnih teles za začetni izbor kandidatov, sestanki komisij za razgovore, programi za usmerjanje štipendistov in drugimi lokalnimi stroški.
B) Država pošiljateljica bo pokrila stroške potovanja za svoje štipendiste od doma do ustanove v državi gostiteljici.
C) Država gostiteljica bo štipendistu preskrbela nastanitev, štipendijo v svoji valuti in zdravstveno zavarovanje.
VI. točka: Takojšnji ukrepi, ki jih je treba sprejeti v zvezi z razpisom za štipendije za akademsko leto 1993-94, so naslednji.
A) Teden, ki se začne 2. novembra: Odbor se sestane z namenom, da:
1. Pregleda vrstni red kandidatov na osnovi razgovorov v komisijah.
2. Oblikuje seznam izbranih kandidatov, ki jih posreduje Odboru J. Williama Fulbrighta za tuje štipendije.
3. Pripravi izčrpen predlog za akademsko leto 1994/ 95 in ga predloži Vladi RS in Vladi ZDA.
B) Teden, ki se začne 13. novembra: Seznam glavnih in rezervnih slovenskih kandidatov za akademsko leto 1993/94 se pošlje telegrafsko v Washington, celoten seznam prijav se predloži Inštitutu za mednarodno izobraževanje (1IE) in Svetu za mednarodno izmenjavo znanstvenikov (CIES).
C) Januar-februar 1993. Ko Vlada RS in Vlada ZDA potrdita izčrpni načrt za akademsko leto 1994-1995, se objavi razpis štipendij za državljane Slovenije v akademskem letu 1994/95. Ministrstvo in Veleposlaništvo bosta v Sloveniji objavili obvestilo, da bosta sprejemali prijave državljanov Slovenije za štipendije v akademskem letu 1994/95, da se obrazce za prijavo lahko dobi tako na Ministrstvu kot na Veleposlaništvu in da se izpolnjene obrazce lahko pošlje bodisi Ministrstvu ali Veleposlaništvu.
VII. točka: Ta memorandum se uporablja z dnem podpisa, veljati pa začne z dnem izmenjave obvestil o izpolnjenih notranjepravnih pogojih v obeh državah za njegovo uveljavitev in velja eno leto.
Podpisano v Ljubljani, dne 8. decembra 1992 v dveh izvodih v slovenskem in angleškem jeziku, pri čemer sta obe besedili enako verodostojni.

 

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia (hereinafter, "the Government of RS") and the Government of the United States of America (hereinafter, "the Government of USA") agree to the following terms for the exchange of graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and lecturers under the auspices of the Fulbright Program. It is the intent of both Governments that this mechanism be considered an interim, ad hoc solution, designed to sustain academic exchanges between Slovenia and the United States unitil new negotiations lead to its extension or replacement. Amendments may be executed, however, at any time with the express agreement of both Governments.
Item I: An ad hoc bilateral Committee (hereinafter, "the Committee") shall be created to recommend action to the Government of RS and the Government of USA on all matters pertaining to the proposed exchange program.
Item II: In the initial year, the Committee shall consist of the Undersecretary from the Service for International Cultural, Educational and Scientific Affairs of the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Slovenia (hereinafter, the Ministry) and the Public Affairs Officer of the U. S. Embassy (hereinafter, the Embassy) in Ljubljana. In subsequent years, the Committee shall consist of eight persons, four of whom shall be appointed by the Embassy and four of whom shall be appointed by the Ministry. To assure that the Committee members bring a diversity of experience to their deliberations, one member from each side shall represent the university and scholarly community and one member from each side shall represent the private, non-governmental sector. The Ambassador and the Minister shall be" honorary members of the Committee in addition to the eight appointed members.
Item III: The program shall be bilateral, providing for the exchange of an approximately equal number of grantees each year, equality to be determined on a grantee-month basis.
Item IV: The Committee shall recommend actions that will provide for and quarantee the following:
A. The development of a comprehensive proposal detailing the scope of programs for the following fiscal year, the academic areas of concentration, the types of grants and similar general guidelines for approval by the respective Governments;
B. The establishment of a mechanism for the annual announcement of the request for applications for Fulbright grants from citizens of Slovenia;
C. The establishment of a mechanism for the receipt of applications from citizens of Slovenia that will assure that the competition is entirely open and that anyone can apply and compete on an equal footing.
D. The establishment of a process to determine the eligibility of submitted applications, through non-partisan technical review.
E. The establishment of academic review panels for the purpose of evaluating the merits of each study, research and lecturing proposal for further consideration by interview panels and by the Committee;
F. The establishment of panels to interview all persons whose applications have passed technical review; interview panels should consist of four persons, representing the Government of RS, the Government of USA, and the Slovene and U. S. academic communities. The panel each year' shall establish a rating system for the interviews (for evaluation of candidates on criteria including English language ability, quality and feasibility of proposed programs, applicability of each candidate's field to the needs of each country, and academic credentials/letters of reference of each candidate);
G. The presentation of a roster of rank-ordered principal and alternate candidates, based on the results, of the interviews, for the approval of the J. William -Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board;
H. The review of applications from U. S. students, scholars and researchers seeking placement in Slovenia;
I. The Placement in Slovene universities and academic research institutes of U. S. applicants for grants;
Item V: The financial obligations for the funding of the exchange program are agreed to be as follows:
A. Each government shall be responsible for in-country, local currency expenses including publicity, committee, academic review panel meetings, interview panel meetings, grantee orientation programs, and other local expenses.
B. The sending side shall cover travel costs for its grantees from their homes to the host institution in the host country.
C. The receiving side shall provide grantees with housing, local currency stipends, and medical insurance.
Item VI: The immediate steps to be taken to support the grant competition for academic year 1993-94 will be as follows:
A. Week of November 2 – The Committee meets to:
1. Review the ranking of applicants by interview panels.
2. Prepare a slate of nominees to be forwarded to the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
3. Prepare the comprehensive proposal for the 1994-95 academic year for submission to the Government of RS and the Government of USA for approval.
B. November 13 – A list of principal and alternate Slovene candidates for the 1993-94 academic year is cabled to Washington, and full sets of applications forms are forwarded to the Institute of International Education (HE) and to the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES).
C. January-February 1993 – Following approval by the Government of RS and the Government of USA of the comprehensive plan for the 1994-95 academic year, publish the announcement of the competition for Slovene candidates for the 1994-95 academic year. The Ministry and the Embassy will publish an announcement in Slovenia that applications for grants for the 1994-95 academic year will be accepted from citizens of Slovenia, that forms may be requested from either the Embassy or the Ministry, and that completed applications may be returned either to the Ministry or the Embassy.
Item VII: This memorandum begins to apply on the day of its signature and goes into effect on the day when both governments exchange the notes that all internal legal requirements have been fulfilled. The memorandum remains in effect for a period of one year.
Signed in Ljubljana on December 8, 1992 in two copies written in English and Slovene language. The texts are identical in both languages.

Za izvajanje memoranduma skrbi Ministrstvo za zunanje zadeve v sodelovanju z Ministrstvom za šolstvo in šport, Ministrstvom za kulturo in Ministrstvom za znanost in tehnologijo.

Ta uredba začne veljati petnajsti dan po objavi v Uradnem listu Republike Slovenije – Mednarodne pogodbe.