Raad Concurrentievermogen februari 2012 bespreekt mogelijkheden voor economische groei (en)

On 20 and 21 February, the Danish EU Presidency will hold its first Competitiveness Council i meeting on strengthening the single market and the world’s largest publically funded research programme, Horizon 2020.

Three weeks on from the informal Competitiveness Council meeting in Copenhagen, Danish Minister for Business and Growth Ole Sohn and Danish Minister for Science, Innovation and Higher Education Morten Østergaard will continue discussions with their ministerial colleagues in Brussels on how to create growth and employment in the EU.

On 20 February, the ministers will discuss the key initiatives in the Single Market Act to boost growth, particularly the following files:

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  The Accounting Directives
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  Regulation on European Venture Capital Funds and regulation on European Social Entrepreneurship Funds
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  Public Procurement Directive (EU regulation on public contracts)

The next day, the research and innovation ministers will meet and continue to focus on the growth agenda. They will follow up on the informal discussions for the EU’s new research framework programme Horizon 2020 i, which has a proposed budget of EUR 80 billion - making it the world’s largest publicly-financed research programme.

Furthermore, the ministers will discuss how the EU can move towards a sustainable bioeconomy, which can create new growth and business opportunities for the Union’s business community.

Minister for Business and Growth Ole Sohn:

"At the Council meeting we will discuss concrete initiatives that can boost growth in a struggling EU. We must make access to venture capital for SME’s and entrepreneurs easier and ensure support for a set of common and modernised rules on accounting and public procurement in the EU".

Minister for Science, Innovation and Higher Education Morten Østergaard:

"Everyone is talking about the crisis and the stalled growth - now we must do something about it! The informal Council meeting in Copenhagen earlier this month was a promising start to the negotiations that will gather the EU together to create not only the world’s largest, but also strongest, publicly-funded research programme, Horizon 2020. Europe’s strengths lie in education and research, but now we must create a closer connection between research and innovation, and with its challenge-based approach, Horizon 2020 is a true paradigm shift. A central aspect is sustainable growth, which is something that we have a history of in Denmark. We must use this position of strength to promote a high level of ambition when we also discuss the possible development of a European bioeconomic strategy".

Other items on the agenda include future efforts within smart regulation in the EU, the Annual Growth Survey for 2012, the value of space and the European Institute for Innovation and Technology.

Contact

Contact/spokespersons:

Troels Blicher Danielsen, Ministry of Business and Growth

Tel: +45 33 95 45 41, email: trd@evm.dk

Henrik Røjgaard, Ministry of Business and Growth

Tel: +45 33 92 41 99, email: hrg@evm.dk

Philip Flores, Ministry of Science, Innovation and Higher Education

Tel: +45 22 37 17 45, email: pge@fivu.dk

Nils Agerhus, Ministry of Science, Innovation and Higher Education

Tel: +45 20 75 78 17, email: nag@fivu.dk