Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-03-09-Speech-3-276"
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"en.20050309.18.3-276"2
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".
Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the Lisbon European Council of 2000 marks an important turning-point for European politics in general and for research and the knowledge-based society in particular.
The future of research and of Europe also depends on our ability to make science more attractive to young people. A closer link between educational courses and scientific careers is a precondition for us to have the numbers of researchers needed for the success of the Lisbon Strategy.
Another chapter in the report concerns technology transfer. The seventh Framework Programme should devote special attention to technology transfer, thus coordinating Europe’s research policy with its industrial policy. Technology platforms and joint technology initiatives are vital mechanisms for achieving this objective. At the same time, funding needs to be increased for instruments aimed specifically at small and medium-sized enterprises, which also require the streamlining of project selection criteria and of bureaucracy in general, which has often been an obstacle preventing SMEs from taking part in research programmes. On this last point, I believe the recommendations included in the Marimon and Ormala reports should be adopted, and not only in relation to SMEs.
To conclude, I should like to touch briefly on thematic priorities, without going into the merits of individual arguments. I think it should be emphasised that these thematic priorities reflect the strategic priorities of the Lisbon Agenda. In this context, I should like to make it clear that to implement the Lisbon Agenda we need to adopt a different approach to spending compared with the past. We must move on from a model of diffuse provision of aid – what in Italy is called ‘
’ – to a model that prioritises spending on investments that have a multiplying effect, that is, an effect of reinforcing growth. Lastly, I would stress that Parliament must not make concessions on research funds, and I hope that the Commission will be on Parliament’s side in this battle.
The Prodi Commission project – developed particularly by Commissioner Busquin but even prior to that by the Italian commissioner, Professor Ruberti – to create the European Research Area by means of a number of measures was confirmed at Lisbon. That is a fundamental step if Europe is to become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world.
We are all aware of the current gap between Europe and its major competitors in this field, that is, the United States and Japan. The percentage of GDP devoted to research spending is 3.12% in Japan, 2.76% in the United States, 1.99% in the EU of 15 and 1.93% in the EU of 25. We have to close this gap, and the European Research Area is a step in the right direction. This project is within reach, but it needs determination to make it happen, the same determination that was shown when we created the single market and the single currency.
The importance of the European Research Area is underlined by the new powers that the Constitutional Treaty attributes to the Union in this field, and we therefore call on the Commission to act in line with the new legal framework.
Weighing up what has been done and outlining future prospects, I must underline the importance of having continuity between the sixth and seventh Framework Programmes. The sixth Framework Programme marked a break with previous programmes, because it set itself more ambitious targets and introduced innovative instruments that encourage a greater number of stake-holders to become involved and to coordinate their actions.
The seventh Framework Programme presents yet another novelty, which is to set up the European Research Council. I am also speaking on this subject on behalf of our fellow Member Erika Mann, who could not be present at this debate. The European Research Council responds to the European scientific community’s increasingly vehement demand for a new body to be created to stimulate basic research.
Basic research is crucially important for successful innovation and will create European added value. Up to now, European added value has been defined through collaboration between research teams in different countries. As the Mayor report shows, however, it is time to provide a new definition of added value, making it possible for individual researchers or individual teams in any EU Member State to compete with all other researchers on the basis of excellence. That is the real mission of the European Research Council, which must be independent in its scientific evaluations, autonomous in its operation and adequately funded. In this connection, I call on the Commission to present a clear, precise proposal regarding the structure and composition of the European Research Council governing bodies as soon as possible.
The report pays particular attention to the subject of human resources, which are the EU’s real strength. In this respect, we have to create the right conditions so that European researchers can best express themselves. It is essential to foster mobility among researchers and to make that a widespread practice at all career stages. Two-way mobility between companies, universities and research centres, the harmonisation of working conditions and career structures and the creation of Europe-wide infrastructure are essential conditions for creating a fertile research environment. To achieve these aims, I call for the Marie Curie actions to be strengthened, as they have proved to be effective and to encourage mobility in the scientific world.
Still on the subject of human resources, I should like to point to the need to promote women’s access to the research sector, as well as their careers. We want to see a greater presence of women at all levels, including the highest, and we also want gender research."@en1
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