Brussels, 08/02: 2010 (Agence Europe) - At the informal Council of San Sebastian on Monday 8 February, the European research ministers agreed to do more to promote the role of science in favour of economic recovery. "We must ensure that the commitment of science to resolving the major challenges facing Europe is made more visible and more efficient", said Cristina Garmendia, Spanish Minister for Science and Innovation, after the meeting. Currently, the most pressing challenge is economic recovery, but there are also other issues, such as seeking new sources of energy, climate change, the ageing population and health, she added. For this reason, the ministers adopted the "Declaration of Donostia", the document stressing the key role of science in resolving the crisis. The ministerial debate then focused on three principal points: integration, involvement and inclusion. The aim of the first point is to give the European research space an institutional weight not entailing more red tape, but instead aiming to promote mobility, researchers' careers and the extension of their professional rights. In this context, Garmendia referred to the intention of the ministers to launch ad hoc and thematic ministerial conferences, such as the forthcoming common Council between research and employment ministers. She also pleaded for new indicators to be set in place for the European Research Area. An initial indicator will concern all of the investments made in the EU in favour of research, with another looking at research ability. "Once we know the situation in terms of national investments, we will need to agree on a binding indicator, which must be more ambitious than what there is today", the Spanish minister stressed, adding that it will be necessary to take account of progress indicators on a country-by-country basis. The need to invest must also be accompanied by results which are visible to the citizens, she said. The involvement point in must ensure that science and innovation become more involved in the great challenges facing the citizens. Lastly, the ministers discussed the third point, that of inclusion, which should help to allow science to develop its social dimensions and work in favour of social cohesion. On this point, the Commission is to launch an initiative to welcome researchers and students from Haiti. As another concrete example, the ministers also stated their intentions of moving forward on an initiative for electric cars in the framework of a public-private partnership. On Tuesday, the European ministers for industry will be discussing this initiative. (B.C./transl.fl)