[en] Collisions between complex nuclei are described variationally in terms of the GCM with the aim to provide an evidence that it is a manageable calculational procedure. The variational principle of Kohn and Kato is used to derive the expression for the K matrix. The space of scattering states is spanned entirely by antisymmetrized products of shell model wave functions describing separate clusters; the generator coordinate is the separation between the two shell model potentials. Scattering boundary conditions are enforced by solving an integral equation for the channel GC amplitude in each open channel separately. The main part of evaluation of collision parameters is performed by calculating double integrals of a form factor between channel GC amplitudes. A theorem about a property of the form factors is proved which allows reduction of the amount of work needed to calculate double integrals. The application of the method to the elastic ³H to ⁴He scattering has shown the feasibility of the calculation. It is shown how an analysis of calculated scattering parameters and corresponding scattering states in terms of quasibound states enables one to make a consistent comparison with experiment and to extract some knowledge of the reaction mechanism. Finally a comparative list of the calculational procedures of the GCM and RGM for reactions is made. (author)