Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-11-24-Speech-2-380"
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"Europe’s policy on research and innovation is essentially based on the Seventh Framework Programme for Research, which runs from 2007 to 2013, the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme, which runs for the same period, and the cohesion funds, which likewise run over the same period. In preparation for these three major programmes, the Commission put forward a long-term strategy and an action plan in 2005 and 2006. The action plan was put forward in 2005, while the broadly-framed innovation strategy dates from 2006. The results of these different programmes are set out in comprehensive documentation from the Commission and have often been discussed here in Parliament. I would be happy, Mrs Ţicău, to provide you with all these documents once again. Within the confines of Question Time, it is not possible to spell out their contents to you, but I do want to attempt to highlight the key points.
Allow me, in concluding, to say that we have seen good progress overall on a broad front over the last few years, although it has been very erratic. It is necessary, in this regard, however, to take an even-handed view. We cannot, for example, expect the new Member States to match the spending proportion of gross domestic product of the older Member States on research, development and innovation straight away. I am very pleased to see, however, that the new Member States – especially those that are in greatest need of catching up – are also making up ground the quickest, so that I see developments overall as positive.
Through the Seventh Framework Programme for Research, we did experience a truly remarkable rise in European expenditure on research and development whilst a series of new instruments, in particular, the joint technology initiatives, were also created and these have proven their worth extremely well.
The cohesion funds are new and better suited to the aim of promoting research and innovation and it is really remarkable if you look at the figures – the provision for these areas in the cohesion and structural funds for the stated period is EUR 86 billion, which, in any case, is 25% of the total structural and cohesion funds. A new instrument has been created within the scope of European structural policy, the JEREMIE support initiative, which, above all, is about providing easier access to capital for small and medium-sized enterprises. This is being done in collaboration with the European Investment Fund.
The programme to promote innovation and competitiveness, which I am responsible for, is also essentially a programme that creates funding instruments. The major share of the money is actually spent on facilitating access for small and medium-sized enterprises to funding instruments that are designed to improve their capacity to innovate.
I am sure you know that our European growth and employment policy does not have very many quantitative targets. We do have one quantitative target, however, which has been unchanged since the year 2000. That target is to spend 3% of gross domestic product on research and development. We can already say, today, that this target will not be achieved. Just looking at the percentages, however, is a little misleading, since, after all, the absolute figures for spending on research and development in the European Union from 2000 to 2006 rose by 14.8%. That is a greater rate of increase than, for example, the United States. Despite that, we have to say that the results are not satisfactory, for which reason the Council adopted a document entitled ‘Vision 2020’ for the European Research Area as far back as December of last year, which was concerned with the issue of whether we could mobilise greater funding for European research and development policy.
I do not want to hide from you my concern that the current economic recession threatens the long-term strategy of driving forward research and development. The Commission reacted very quickly to this threat in November 2008. The European Economic Recovery Plan, which complements the Member States’ measures to combat the economic crisis and aims to provide impetus and counter the difficult situation in the financial sector, is heavily focused on the areas of investment in research and development and promoting investment. I will give you three examples: the Factories of the Future initiative, which relates to the modernisation of Europe’s industrial base, with EUR 1.2 billion in funding; the Energy-efficient Buildings initiative, for which EUR 1 billion has been allocated; and the Partnership for Building Green Cars, which has also been allocated EUR 1 billion in the field of research, topped up with expenditure amounting to EUR 4 billion from other economic measures.
The Commission has already begun preparations for the next growth and employment strategy. Without giving away any secrets – as President Barroso has already discussed this in his guidelines – I can also say that research, development and innovation will play an absolutely key role in the next growth and employment strategy.
I have another comment to make on innovation. Europe is actually in a pretty good position when it comes to research policy. We have good, and in some cases outstanding, research capacities. We also have very good results when it comes to technological development. We could certainly be better, though, when it comes to innovation. If we understand innovation to be the practical application of research and development work for products, services, design and methods – in other words, anything where a practical application is possible – we still see a huge potential to create additional growth and additional employment in Europe. The Commission therefore announced this year that it is to bring forward an ‘innovation act’. An ‘act’ in this sense is a new political instrument that we developed for the first time in connection with small and medium-sized enterprises – you will remember the Small Business Act – and we will be bringing forward an innovation act that brings together legislative measures, policy initiatives and politically-binding guidelines in a major package.
I have endeavoured to direct this work in such a way that the new Commission will be free to decide when it wants to bring forward this innovation act. You will understand that I cannot pre-empt that – it will be for the new Commission to decide. The preparatory work, however, has already made good progress and I think I can say with certainty that Parliament will be dealing with the subject of this innovation act within the next year."@en1
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