The competent EU Ministers reached agreement on Friday 28 February on the future Strategic Innovation Agenda (SIA) of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).
The SIA defines the objectives, key actions, budget, operating mode and expected results of the EIT for the 2021-2027 period. This strategic programme should ensure that there is coherence between the EIT and the Horizon Europe initiative.
Several States agreed to lift their reservations on the Croatian Presidency’s compromise proposal on this programme, thus paving the way for the adoption of a partial general approach at this EU Council.
The Croatian Presidency, represented by its Minister of Science and Education, Blaženka Divjak, introduced the discussion by presenting the main changes that its proposal intends to make to the European Commission's proposal presented last July (see EUROPE 12294/7).
Thus, the text adopted on Friday provides in particular for greater openness to new partners of the EIT and its Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) – communities promoting the association of higher education establishments, research institutes and businesses. “These communities will need to integrate the expansion of partnerships into their multi-year strategies, including the creation of new co-location centres”, Ms Divjak said.
Two new KICs are expected to be created, as proposed by the European Commission. The first, scheduled for 2022, will be devoted to culture and creative industries. The second one has yet to be determined.
The compromise text also introduces changes to ensure greater transparency of the KICs and indicates that the outermost regions will be eligible for the Regional Innovation Programme (RIS), which aims to foster regional integration.
The budget, still subject to criticism
Although all the Ministers agreed, several of them were critical, mainly on the budget issue.
“The concentration of funds and the slow progress towards financial independence is a problem”, the Danish minister said. Latvia, Slovenia, Hungary and Malta indicated that they would like to see 20% of the budget allocated to the RIS. Bulgaria even considered that it would be okay to exceed 20% in 2030.
For Hungary, joined on this point by Lithuania and Poland, “the last-minute addition of the outermost regions as an eligible entity” poses a financial problem, but also “because it does not correspond to the regulation and to what had been negotiated”.
Several Ministers also asked that consideration be given to the creation of a budget specifically allocated to the creation of new co-location centres.
These criticisms did not prevent Ms Divjak from being optimistic. “This is an important milestone to launch negotiations between EU Council and Parliament on the EIT package”, she said after the Council. “We look forward with confidence to the next steps in the legislative process”, said Innovation Commissioner Mariya Gabriel. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)