Brussels, 24/11/2010 (Agence Europe) - The new European innovation strategy and funding for the ITER experimental nuclear fusion reactor will be the main points on the agenda for the Competitiveness Council (research, industrial policy, space) in Brussels on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 November. In separate Council sessions, industry ministers (meeting on Thursday) and research ministers (on Friday) will discuss the new “Innovation Union” strategy with a view to adopting conclusions. The new strategy, one of the EU 2020 flagship initiatives, was presented by the European Commission on 6 October, and seeks to improve access to research and innovation funding. Conclusions on the strategy are expected to be adopted by research ministers and will contain the key messages to be sent to the European Council before the debate on innovation due to take place at the February summit. Industry ministers will also hold an exchange of views of EU industrial policy, a second flagship initiative of the EU 2020 strategy. Conclusions are expected to be adopted at the next Competitiveness Council on 10 December. A raft of issues remains to be resolved, for example, on funding new technologies, the new technologies themselves (including electric vehicles) and the external dimension of competitiveness. In the session devoted to space, the Council is expected to hold a policy debate before adopting, on that same day, a resolution on the development of European space infrastructure. The 7th session of the Space Council (bringing together the EU and Switzerland and Norway, two non-EU members of the European Space Agency) is scheduled for Thursday afternoon. On Friday, in the research session, the Council is expected to discuss inter alia a plan for reducing ITER costs (see related article). The Council is likely in the same session, also to adopt conclusions on joint research planning on major societal challenges, which will then be put to the European Council. (A.By./transl.rt)