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You are here : Home > News > Speeches > March 2005 > Speech by François Biltgen on the mid-term review of the Lisbon Strategy - Contribution of the Competitiveness Council to the Spring European Council - 7 March 2005
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Speech
Speech by François Biltgen on the mid-term review of the Lisbon Strategy - Contribution of the Competitiveness Council to the Spring European Council - 7 March 2005

Date of Speech : 07-03-2005

Place : Bruxelles

Speaker : François Biltgen

Policy area : Competitiveness (Internal market, Industry and Research) Competitiveness (Internal market, Industry and Research)

Event : Competitiveness Council


Ladies and Gentlemen, dear Colleagues,

A key element of more vigorous growth is a knowledge-based economy, and especially the need to make research and development a top priority, to promote the use of information and communication technologies and to make Europe more attractive to researchers and scientists.

The Council has responded to these appeals by emphasising  knowledge and innovation within the mid-term review of the Lisbon Strategy.

The realisation of the European Research Area plays a special role in the development of a knowledge-based society to assure Europe's competitiveness. It is absolutely necessary to focus our efforts on:

1. The Barcelona Objective - to increase the net investment in R&D at the national and European levels and to better coordinate national and European research policies.

2. The optimisation of human capital - the emergence of a trans-European labour market for researchers guaranteeing a more favourable environment for attracting to Europe researchers and the most talented innovators in the world while favouring and facilitating the mobility of the researchers

3. Improving the cooperation and the transfer of technology and innovation between public research and companies – this through public-private partnerships and centres of excellence and innovation

4. Encouraging the growth and competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly new SMEs highly involved in research and innovation - through measures that facilitate their participation in R&D and by creating a favourable environment for start-ups and spin-off and development of innovative projects.

The Seventh Framework Programme for Research of the European Community, which calls for contributions to the development of a knowledge-based economy and society, is particularly important in this regard. This programme should take into account certain intersectoral principles:

- European added value

- World-class quality of science and technology

- Technological innovation and the valorisation of the results of R&D

- The simplification and rationalisation of administrative and financial procedures

- The coherence and synergies with other Community programmes

There is a considerable amount of work ahead of us, and the Presidency is prepared to do what is necessary to ensure that our work advances with a spirit of partnership and transparency. This week the European Parliament will vote in a plenary session on the report on the orientations of the Union’s research support policy. The European Commission will present the formal proposal of the Seventh Framework Programme for Research of the European Community on 6 April 2005. In order get a good start on the discussions within the Council, the Luxembourg Presidency will invite the Ministers for Research to an informal dinner on the evening of the next Competitiveness Council set for 18 April 2005. This Competitiveness Council of 18 April will allow Mr Potocnik, Commissioner for Science and Research, to make a presentation of the proposal for the Seventh Framework Programme and for the Council to have an initial exchange of views. Finally, the Luxembourg Presidency wishes to have a debate on the orientation of the Competitiveness Council of 6 and 7 June and conclusions on certain pillars of the Seventh Framework Programme.




This page was last modified on : 08-03-2005

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