Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-05-30-Speech-3-033"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20010530.4.3-033"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
".
In response to the first question, it is clearly evident that, in the specific programmes that the Commission adopted this morning, you will see, Mrs Maes, that there are some very clear headings on the effects of the environment on health, as well as, for example, the effects of chemical products. Studies of this type are planned. Some have already been carried out, but you are right to say that issues of prevention do exist. Health risks related to the environment – you will see in the document – are dealt with on the page on the priority entitled ‘Food safety and health risks’.
With regard to the resources that the European Union is making available for research, I think that I tell everyone that it is essential that we make a greater overall effort. This was the message in the statement on the European Research Area – we are only spending 1.9% of our GNP whereas the United States spend 2.7% and Japan 3.1%. Since the Lisbon and the Stockholm Summits, a considerable number of people have become aware of this, and the Heads of Government often discuss the European Research Area. I was also pleased to read that Mr Jospin spoke of the need for a European Research Area in his speech on the European Union, but said that Member States’ determination was crucial. They must step up their efforts. That is why the issue of benchmarking, which we are implementing, of comparisons between research efforts, and of raising the resources to catalyse this research by creating integrated projects through bringing about the European Research Area, by providing support from the Commission to make national programmes consistent, must create a dynamic to help this research.
Similarly, you are quite right to highlight a crucial problem at European level, which is the problem of young researchers. We do not stress often enough that the average age of researchers in Europe is higher than the average age of the European population. This means that there is a problem, that there has not been any recruitment or development of scientific research in our Member States. Generally, there has been a specific problem for the last 20 years and there is currently a need, therefore, to attract young people to careers in research and to develop them in this career. Clearly, in many Member States – and perhaps this is putting it very bluntly – there is something almost scandalous about the status of young researchers in terms of their social and financial standing.
This is, therefore, a problem that must be tackled throughout Europe, and I believe that we can provide various comparisons so that all Member States properly address this problem, and I can say that people are becoming aware of this now. Everyone knows that the knowledge-based society is the driving force of the economy of the future. At the Lisbon Summit, it was acknowledged that 25 to 50% of the economy is related to knowledge and therefore to research and innovation. This is a positive aspect that we are indeed attempting to make known as far and wide as possible. The Framework Programme must play a part in increasing awareness of this issue."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples