Toespraak eurocommissaris Geoghegan-Quinn over Horizon 2020 (en)

President Sartori, Honourable members, I would like to thank the ITRE i committee for organising this hearing on Horizon 2020.

I would also like to thank the Committee and in particular the rapporteurs on Horizon 2020 for the effort and time that they are dedicating to the Commission's proposals. In this context, I can assure you that you have the full cooperation of the Commission.

There is no need at this stage to explain again the details of Horizon 2020. I presented our proposals to the ITRE Committee last December, and the committee has already had two exchanges of views on it, on 23 January and 27 February. However, I would like to take this opportunity to make a few remarks on some specific aspects of our proposals.

First of all, while discussing with many different stakeholders and decision-makers over the last few months, I have been struck by the consensus that research and innovation are crucial to building a future for Europe - both for the economy and wider society - and that this requires a commensurate financial investment.

There is also the common view that the ambitious proposal on the table - Horizon 2020 - can indeed help to bring about the fundamental change that we desperately need in Europe. As a reminder to us all, the 2011 Innovation Union Scoreboard published at the end of last month showed that growth in innovation performance is slowing down, and that the EU is not closing the gap with global innovation leaders such as the United States, Japan and South Korea. The biggest gap for the EU27 remains in terms of private sector innovation.

Secondly, even if the first reactions to Horizon 2020 are very positive, I know that there is still much work to do. We perhaps don't yet agree on all the details - we heard some examples already this morning! At the moment, the debate underway in the Parliament and in Council helps us to focus on those areas where we perhaps need to explain more clearly some of the principles underlying Horizon 2020.

In this regard, I would like to highlight in particular the importance of building positive synergies with other EU programmes. This goes especially for Cohesion Policy - where we will focus hard on making sure that excellence and innovation can flourish in all regions of Europe.

And I can confirm, as my Director-General, Robert-Jan Smits, announced during the last exchange of views in ITRE, that the Commission is working to finalise a paper on the links between Horizon 2020 and the Cohesion policy funds.

Thirdly, I would like to underline just how radical an approach we are taking with Horizon 2020. Different sectors and policy areas must come together if we are to tackle our biggest societal challenges - researchers from different disciplines, and different actors from the private and public sectors, will be encouraged to work together!

This will mean creating seamless links across the three objectives - or Pillars - of Horizon 2020. For example, research breakthroughs made under Pillar One on "Excellent Science" could lead to the development of new technologies for carbon capture and storage, or the use of nano- and biotechnologies to replace raw materials, under the Second Pillar on "Industrial Leadership". These new technologies or processes could then be tested and demonstrated under the third Pillar on "Societal Challenges". And on the subject of multi-disciplinarity, let me again recall that the social sciences and humanities will be embedded in all the societal challenges, over and above the opportunities offered, for example, through the European Research Council, under Pillar One, Excellent Science.

These new forms of cooperation will not always be easy to create, but the potential rewards are massive.

Ladies and gentleman, I look forward to further fruitful discussions in the Parliament and Council. Today's event is an important milestone. To honourable members in ITRE, guided by the excellent work of Mrs Madurell, Mrs Cavalho, Mr Ehler, Mr Skinner, Mr Lamberts and Ms Matias, I urge you to move ahead as quickly as possible so that Parliament can complete its first reading. This will mark a big step forward to our new Horizon!

Commission Work Programme 2012

Finally, I would like to say a few words on some important initiatives foreseen in the forthcoming months as I am sure they are of great interest for you.

First, I am very pleased to announce that the Commission is planning to adopt an ERA Framework Communication by mid 2012. This Communication is our response to the call from the European Council of 4 February 2011 (repeated in the meeting of 1-2 March 2012) to complete ERA by 2014.

The ERA Framework Communication will set out the measures necessary to reach this goal. It will focus, in particular, on improving researchers' mobility and careers; cross-border research co-operation; the circulation of knowledge, including open access to the results of publicly funded research; and, the international dimension of research.

Secondly, international cooperation in research and innovation will be further developed in a separate Communication, foreseen for adoption before the end of this year. As the international landscape in science, technology and innovation (STI) is changing rapidly - and creating new opportunities and challenges - Europe needs to adapt its international cooperation framework in order to better focus and, prioritise our activities.

We need to improve the coordination between EU and Member States’ funding in support of international cooperation, in particular in the context of Horizon 2020. This Communication will set out detailed objectives, criteria and operational principles for implementing, enhancing and focusing EU action in this area.

And, thirdly, by the end of this year, the Commission will provide, in a Communication, its second update on the State of the Innovation Union. This will include the development of the new Europe 2020 headline indicator, as promised by Innovation Union, and in line with the European Council's conclusions of 4 February 2011.

Work on this has been going on during 2011 with the active support of the OECD and the statistical offices of the Member States. The first results are currently being checked and validated. We are therefore on course to deliver the indicator as announced.

The three Communications that I have just mentioned are part of the Commission Work Programme for this year, which was adopted by the College last November following President Barroso's State of the Union address to the European Parliament.

Let me conclude by saying that prioritising investment in research and innovation now is the recipe for ensuring growth and jobs in the future. Previous experience shows that this will be the best way to successfully exit the current economic crisis.

While we must remain conscious of the need to tackle the serious economic difficulties faced by many Member States, we should not forget that Europe is still the world's biggest economy, representing the highest share of world GDP, with over 500 million citizens with high per capita income.

So, we still have enormous potential, a potential that I am determined that we should fulfil with the help of practical, efficient and effective policies in research and innovation. That is what Horizon 2020 is all about.

Thank you.