“A cornerstone” for the future of European research. This is how Mariya Gabriel, the Commissioner for Research and Innovation (R&I), described the two texts adopted by the EU Council on Friday 26 November.
The EU27 Research Ministers, meeting in Brussels, first of all supported a European “Pact” for Research and Innovation: this will be the roadmap, the reference text for the implementation of the new European Research Area (ERA) (see EUROPE 12571/9).
This Pact defines first and foremost the values and principles according to which European R&I activities are to be conducted in the future.
It also lists priority areas for action: for example, the EU27 will work to promote open science, encourage open access to European and national research infrastructures, work to strengthen gender equality in R&I, ensure the mobility of researchers, engage internationally, support bottom-up basic research and applied research, and promote citizen input.
The adopted text also sets investment targets. In particular, it requires Member States to “help achieve” the objective of investing 3% of EU GDP in R&I. In this respect, the EU27 are called upon to set national spending targets on a voluntary basis.
The Pact sets out the new public effort target of 1.25% of the Union’s GDP to be reached, together, by 2030. Two voluntary targets are also set: to devote 5% of national public funding for R&I to European programmes and partnerships by 2030 and to increase investment in R&I by 50% in Member States lagging behind in R&I.
At a press conference after the meeting, Ms Gabriel welcomed the ministers’ vote and said she was “grateful” that the EU27 were committed to investing 3% of the Union’s GDP in R&I. “We need to invest more and better”, she insisted, recalling that it was high time to put this sector to work in the face of the “major societal, ecological and economic challenges” currently facing Europeans.
“Comprehensive redesign of governance”
In addition to the Pact, the ministers also adopted on Friday conclusions on the future governance of the new ERA.
“The new ERA and its priorities require a comprehensive redesign of the current ERA governance”, the EU Council said in its conclusions. This redesign, it states, should make it possible for “rationalising resources” and “respecting the inter-institutional balance, the principle of subsidiarity and the respective competences in the field of R&I”.
It was therefore decided that the EU Council would approve long-term orientations and medium-term priorities for the new ERA. It will be able to provide further guidance at any time and the EU Council Presidencies are expected to organise inter-ministerial conferences to discuss the development of the ERA.
The European Research Area and Innovation Committee (ERAC) will retain its functions as a strategic policy advisory committee. Its mandate should be revised to enable it to advise on strategic orientations and future trends that require the refinement of EU and national policies, to initiate updates of the ERA policy agenda, or to interact with similar governance and coordination structures in other policy areas, notably higher education and industry.
The ERA Forum and its possible sub-groups will also be maintained. In its conclusions, the EU Council specifies that this body should, among other things, design and coordinate the implementation of the ERA’s actions.
To consult the Pact: https://bit.ly/3p4gjNR
To see the conclusions on governance: https://bit.ly/3nVZAwO (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)