Brussels, 16/01/2006 (Agence Europe) - “Art and science are the legs on which Europe stands, and it is of vital importance to make sure that the conditions are always right for both to flourish.” That was the key message put forward by European Commission President José Manuel Barroso during his visit to the Delft University of Technology on 13 January. Mr Barroso spoke warmly of Europe's active cultural life noting that “people visit galleries in record numbers, more books are being published than ever before, the creative industries have become major players in Europe's economy. (…) Europe's cultural diversity is one of its strong points, without doubt”. There is less optimism on the science side, however: the European scientific community is deeply worried by the lack of investment in R&D - the US research budget is one third greater than the EU's. Additionally, Europe's spending on research, as a percentage of GDP, is stagnating whereas China's spending has jumped by 20% in a year. The deficit in education spending is such that Europe would have to spend an additional 10,000 euro per student per year to bridge the funding gap with the US. Acutely aware of these difficulties, Mr Barroso stressed that the “Europe of Science needs modernisation if it is to lead the world once more and contribute to making our continent fit for the challenges of the 21st century”. “If we are serious about building a dynamic Europe of growth and jobs, a knowledge-based society which uses education, research and innovation as engines for sustainable growth, then there is no time to lose”, he said. Modernising universities is a priority, as are overcoming the obstacles to improved cooperation between universities and business and encouraging research, innovation and tertiary education. Mr Barroso stressed that the scientific community needed greater recognition and argued once again for a European Institute of Technology to bring together the best researchers and companies and to disseminate results throughout Europe. He said it was fundamental to have more leading companies working in areas like information and communication technology, space, nanotechnology and biotechnology.
Mr Barroso also stressed repeatedly the need to increase funding for R&D and for education in the financial perspective.