Brussels, 29/09/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 26 September in Brussels, the research ministers of the EU reiterated their commitment to the creation of a European Research Area (ERA). “This meeting has allowed us to make concrete progress in the establishment of a reinforced European Research Area, at the service of European competitiveness and of its citizens”, the French minister for higher education and research, Valérie Pécresse, told a press conference. This meeting provided the opportunity to continue the work undertaken by the Slovenian Presidency to relaunch the construction of the ERA, after last year's publication of the Green Paper recommending that the ERA be given the instruments needed to promote its effectiveness. The Council adopted conclusions on European partnership for researchers, which aims to promote their careers and mobility by dint of a commitment on the part of the Member States and the European Commission. This partnership lays down a number of objectives, such as increased transparency in recruitment and the mobility of social protection. The Portuguese and Luxembourg ministers, José Mariano Gago and François Biltgen respectively, undertook a mission on these subjects, with a view to reporting back on them to the December Competitiveness Council. “We will list the most urgent measures to be taken to promote the mobility of researchers”, Ms Pécresse said. The Commission also presented its draft regulation on the legal status of research infrastructures of European interest, in its communication on the international cooperation strategy of the ERA. “The draft regulation will facilitate the establishment of large research infrastructures in Europe, which are currently being checked by often lengthy negotiations on the question of the legal statutes based on different national laws”, stated the minister, adding that this statute would help to create an exemption on value-added tax for research infrastructures of European interest. The Council also debated the communication put forward by the Commission on joint programming. In the view of Valérie Pécresse, it is a “great step forward to coordinate European research tools”, with just 15% of research expenditure in Europe being coordinated at European level (Community and intergovernmental programmes). This new instrument proposed by the Commission after the publication of the Green Paper on the European Research Area should allow the coordination of the programmes and research resources of the member states, on a voluntary basis and to variable degrees, based around the broad social priorities laid down jointly: the fight against Alzheimer's disease, climate change, energy, information and communication technology and food. “The current structure of European research is redundant and has led to waste through a lack of coordination”, the minister stressed. Over lunch, the ministers held a discussion on a definition of a “Vision 2020” for the ERA, to be proposed for adoption by the Competitiveness Council of next December, as part of the Ljubljana process. This meeting of the Council also saw progress on new thematic cooperation within the ERA: - the Council adopted conclusions with a view to formalising a joint commitment of the member states to fight neuro-degenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's. This joint commitment will be used as a pilot experiment to help to define future joint programming; - the Commission has presented a European strategy for marine and maritime research; - lastly, the ministers took position on the code of conduct for research in nano-science and nano-technology, which, Ms Pécresse said, “makes a reality of the priority of the French Presidency: 'science at the service of society'”. (B.C./trans.fl)