Brussels, 26/11/2003 (Agence Europe) - On 25 November, Commissioner Philippe Busquin presented his "Key figures 2003-2004" and the "Brain drain- emigration flows for qualified scientists", two new publications by his services, which reiterated the weaknesses in European research compared to Japan and the United States. In order to reverse this trend, implementation of the Lisbon strategy must be speeded up, with an absolute need to increase private and public investment alike to reach the objective of 3% of GDP by 2010. He told the press that if only one thing was to be learnt from the Sapir report, it was that "research should be the number one priority". "My colleague Michel Barnier recently wrote that the budget of the forthcoming framework programme should be double that of the current one. I endorse this, of course, but I would add, this should be a minimum". But even 40 billion EUR for the seventh framework programme for research would not be enough if the private sector does not make efforts of its own. Studies show that foreign businesses are investing less in research in Europe, whereas European businesses invest more in research oversees. In 1991, the Union represented 80% of total expenditure for R&D carried out by American companies overseas; today, this has fallen to 70%. European companies invest 30% more in research in the United States than American companies do in Europe. For 2001, this represents a total net outflow of 5 billion EUR to the benefit of the United States and Japan. The lesson the Commission draws from this is that we must "radically change our research environment" and even get banks involved. "We need to mobilise all stakeholders", said Mr Busquin, who hopes that the Union will decide on a specific objective for the recruitment of scientists, in order to reach 8 scientists per 1,000 employees by 2010, as opposed to 5 per 1,000 at present. "This objective will be the human counterpart of the 3% objective for investment in research", he added.