The Hungarian Presidency of the EU Council, which began its six-month mandate on Monday 1 July, has made strengthening Europe’s competitiveness an “overarching priority”, in particular by improving the effectiveness of Europe's research and innovation (R&I) ecosystems. It says that a number of shortcomings need to be addressed, including the fragmentation of the European Research Area (ERA) and the innovation deficit in Europe.
The Presidency indicates that it wants to examine the effectiveness of the measures and initiatives already taken to remedy this situation. It intends to link this subject to the assessment of the ERA’s 2022-2024 policy agenda, to Mario Draghi’s report on the future of the EU and to the report on the implementation of the new European innovation agenda. It also provides for the adoption of EU Council conclusions on this subject.
The Hungarian Presidency hopes as well to see conclusions adopted on advanced materials, following on from the work of the Belgian Presidency (see EUROPE 13444/10).
Finally, the EU Council’s conclusions will also provide an opportunity to assess the possibility of establishing a new innovation and research partnership on the circular bioeconomy. In this context, the Presidency wants to “focus on the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, including the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership countries”.
Academic freedom in Hungary
These Hungarian R&I priorities will be presented to the European Parliament. Questions relating to academic freedom in Hungary are likely to be raised on this occasion. In fact, the ‘EP Academic Freedom Monitor 2023’, which monitors academic freedom in the Member States in 2023 and commissioned by the European Parliament’s Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) from the European Parliament’s Research Service, points to “severe threats to academic freedom affecting institutional autonomy, freedom of research and freedom of expression”.
The report notes signs of direct interference by the Hungarian government, and of control over universities and other higher education bodies.
Since December 2022, an EU Council implementing decision (2022/2506) prohibits, in particular, until the measure is lifted, the conclusion of new legal commitments with Hungarian public interest trusts and the entities they manage in connection with the implementation of the EU budget in order to protect the EU budget against possible conflicts of interest and to ensure the transparent use of EU funds.
Link to the programme: https://aeur.eu/f/crs
Link to the STOA report: https://aeur.eu/f/cxa (Original version in French by Émilie Vanderhulst)