The Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union is preparing the meeting of Research and Innovation (R&I) Ministers on 23 May. To this end, on Monday 29 April the Secretariat-General of the Council sent the member state delegations a document prepared by the Belgian Presidency ahead of the political debate to be held at the Research Council meeting on R&I in the field of advanced materials.
These are new materials with enhanced properties, designed for superior performance.
The Belgian Presidency also emphasises that these materials are on the list of technological areas critical to European economic security and considers them essential to the EU’s competitiveness and to achieving the green and digital transitions.
The European Commission adopted a communication highlighting the potential of a European strategy in this area (see EUROPE 13359/16) and supplemented this communication with an initiative on biotechnologies and the production of bio-based products (see EUROPE 13375/22).
The Presidency will therefore propose a political debate to the ministers on 23 May, during which it will listen to their views on three dimensions of support for R&I in the field of advanced materials: coordination, prioritisation and sharing practices.
The debate will focus first and foremost on how the EU and its Member States can coordinate R&I in this area in order to reduce fragmentation in the EU and improve the competitiveness of businesses and value chains.
The Presidency also wishes to discuss the areas of application to be prioritised for research. It will consult ministers on whether the four priority areas in which the Commission proposes to launch initiatives (energy, mobility, construction and electronics) take sufficient account of socio-economic, scientific and technological developments, as well as the importance of innovation in the field of advanced materials.
Finally, the Presidency would like to see an exchange of views on any best practices that could be shared and promoted.
Link to the document: https://aeur.eu/f/c1g (Original version in French by ÉmilieVanderhulst)