An official - even if still provisional - press release was recently made available. According to the document the main results of the Council are the following:
Preparation for the spring EU economic summit: Annual Growth Survey 2013
The Council held debated on the Annual Growth Survey 2013 as part of all relevant Council deliberations in preparation for the spring European Council on 14 and 15 March. . Ministers raised a full range of policy recommendations as drivers of growth, investment, innovation and job creation, which include:
– continued support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), access to finance and the entrepreneurship agenda, including support for the external competitiveness of EU companies;
– rapid completion of the Single Market Act (SMA) I and moving forward with the SMA II initiatives;
– maintenance and strengthening of the EU's industrial base;
– pressing ahead with the implementation of the Services Directive, the digital single market and the e-Government initiatives;
– strengthening investments in research and innovation, including various forms of public support to research and innovation, such as tax credits, public procurement, public-private partnerships and support for venture capital;
– using effective means to leverage private financing for research and innovation, as well as measures to overcome barriers to the take-up of financing instruments by SMEs;
– implementing the commitments of the Innovation Union strategy and giving greater prominence to the removal of obstacles with a view to completing the European Research Area;
– preventing the risks of shortages of skilled labour; and
– promoting initiatives that support commercialisation of research results and the development of technology start-ups in order to create new high value-added jobs,
including those measures aimed at reinforcing the links between universities and business and promoting the formation of innovation clusters.
Open access to scientific information
The Council held a policy debate on open access to scientific information resulting from publicfunded research projects on the basis of the Commission communication "Towards better access to scientific information: Boosting the benefits of public investments in research" (12847/12) and its accompanying recommendations on access to and preservation of scientific information (12846/12).
The member states supported the idea of developing broader and more rapid access to scientific publications in order to help researchers and businesses to build on the findings of publicly funded research. This will contribute to boosting Europe's innovation capacity, help to tackle societal challenges and provide citizens with quicker access to scientific discoveries.
The member states noted the Commission proposal to develop experimental policy actions on open access to research data and to run a pilot for that purpose in the future Horizon 2020 research framework programme. Open access to research data will require that various other aspects such as intellectual property rights, security issues and data protection rules be taken into account.
They encouraged the definition of clear policies, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, on open access to scientific publications and research data, on preservation and re-use of scientific information and on related e-infrastructures for disseminating scientific information, at both national and EU levels.
They agreed on the need to promote common implementation standards and criteria, including interoperable infrastructures, in order to achieve the maximum benefit from open access in a sustainable way within a digital European Research Area.
Moreover, ministers welcomed the Commission’s view that open access to scientific publications should be a general principle of the future Horizon 2020 research framework programme and presented some of the initiatives carried out under their respective national programmes.
The optimal circulation, access to and transfer of scientific knowledge is one of the objectives for the establishment of a genuine European Research Area (ERA).
Unified Patent Court agreement
The international agreement for establishing a Unified Patent Court (UPC) was signed in the margins of the Council (16351/12 + COR 1).
The UPC will ensure the uniform application of patent law throughout the territories of the signatory countries.
The new court will avoid the occurrence of multiple court cases with regard to the same patent in different member states. This will also prevent contradictory court rulings on the same issues. It will also reduce the cost of patent litigation.
The UPC is the final outstanding element of the “patents package” aimed at creating an enhanced patent system in the European Union.
For more information see press release 6590/13.
Smart specialisation for research and innovation
During a working lunch, ministers and commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn had an exchange of views on ways to support smart specialisation for research and innovation. The subject was introduced by Professor Mark Ferguson, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Irish government.
Smart specialisation involves the identification of research and innovation strategies so that the EU’s structural funds can be used more efficiently and synergies between different EU, national and regional policies, as well as public and private investments, can be increased.
Joint programming of research projects
Joint programming is a process designed to ensure the optimisation of research efforts. It aims to reinforce cross-border cooperation and the coordination and alignment of national publicly funded research programmes. It is part of the new European Research Area landscape.
Since 2009, 10 joint programming initiatives have been launched in order to address specific societal challenges facing Europe such as neurodegenerative diseases, climate change, urban development, etc.
The Irish Presidency announced the organisation of a conference on joint programming that will take place in Dublin on 28 February and 1 March 2013 (
http://www.jpc2013.com).
The full version of press release is available
here
