proposal from the Commission and after obtaining the assent of the European Parliament and consulting the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, shall define the tasks, priority objectives and the organization of the Structural Funds, which may involve grouping the Funds. The Council, acting by the same procedure, shall also define the general rules applicable to them and the provisions necessary to ensure their effectiveness and the co- ordination of the Funds with one another and with the other existing financial instruments. The Council, acting in accordance with the same procedure, shall before 31 December 1993 set up a Cohesion Fund to provide a financial contribution to projects in the fields of environment and trans- European networks in the area of transport infrastructure. ARTICLE 130e Implementing decisions relating to the European Regional Development Fund shall be taken by the Council, acting in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 189c and after consulting the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. With regard to the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund - Guidance Section, and the European Social Fund, articles 43 and 125 respectively shall continue to apply. TITLE XV Research and technological development ARTICLE 130f 1. The Community shall have the objective of strengthening the scientific and technological bases of Community industry and encouraging it to become more competitive at international level, while promoting all the research activities deemed necessary by virtue of other Chapters of this Treaty. 2. For this purpose the Community shall, throughout the Community, encourage undertakings, including small and medium-sized undertakings, research centres and universities in their research and technological development activities of high quality; it shall support their efforts to co-operate with one another, aiming, notably, at enabling undertakings to exploit the internal market potential to the full, in particular through the opening up of national public contracts, the definition of common standards and the removal of legal and fiscal obstacles to that co-operation. 3. All community activities under this Treaty in the area of research and technological development, including demonstration projects, shall be decided on and implemented in accordance with the provisions of this Title. ARTICLE 130g In pursuing these objectives, the Community shall carry out the following activities, complementing the objectives complementing the activities carried out in the Member States: (a) implementation of research, technological development and demonstration programmes, by promoting co-operation with and between undertakings, research centres and universities; (b) promotion of co-operation in the field of Community research, technological development and demonstration with third countries and international organizations;