WRITTEN QUESTION E-0117/03

by Salvador Garriga Polledo (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(28 January 2003)

Subject: Urgent measures to stimulate innovation in the European regions

The European Union is experiencing increasing difficulties in becoming the world's leading economic player by the year 2010. Along with the structural problems afflicting it, such as high unemployment and low productivity, it is falling worryingly behind in the field of technological innovation, which is preventing it from being as or more competitive than the United States or Japan.

Urgent measures must therefore be taken to stimulate innovation in the European regions, not only in the Member States, but also in the candidate countries, starting with fulfilment of the commitment the EU leaders gave in Barcelona to dedicate 3 % of GDP to investment in research and development.

What strategy is the Commission proposing for campaigns to spur the whole of the Community economy to develop a genuine policy of technological innovation as one of the top priorities in all future Community actions?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(4 March 2003)

The Structural Funds of the Union represent the principal financial instruments to encourage innovation in the regions. Via the Structural Funds, the Union is making an important contribution to increasing competitiveness in accordance with the objectives set out by the European Council in Lisbon in the year 2000. A number of general and specific actions can be highlighted in this regard.

First, in the current programming period, 2000-2006, some EUR 9 billion are earmarked for Research, Technological Development and Innovation (R & TDI) support, including research projects based in universities and research institutes, technology transfer involving less favoured regions, provision of R & TDI infrastructures and equipment, training for researchers, establishing business networks and partnerships between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and developing the knowledge base. Out of this total, more than EUR 6 billion will fund actions in the less developed regions eligible under Objective 1 of the Structural Funds.

Second, the Commission is also active in the promotion of regional innovation strategies and action plans (RIS & RITTS) in over 100 regions, helping regional authorities to establish public-private partnerships in this field.

Third, the European Regional Development Fund currently funds regional programmes for innovation. These include actions in the field of the knowledge economy involving over 90 regions for the period 2001-2004 mobilising nearly EUR 300 million of public and private funding. The main objective of these programmes is to identify new actions and policy avenues which allow regions to increase R & TDI investments in the future, and thus help them spur their regional economies and attain the Lisbon objectives.

In addition to the actions under the Structural Funds, the Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development support collaborative research and networks between researchers located in different Member States and third countries. The recently launched sixth Framework Programme, with a budget of EUR 17,5 billion for the period 2002-2006 supports the creation of a European Research Area to promote the free movement of knowledge, researchers and technology(1). The regional dimension of research is an important part of the European Research Area project.

Before the end of 2003, the Commission will present new proposals for regional policy in an enlarged Europe taking account of the needs to maintain efforts to improve economic competitiveness. In the second progress report on economic and social cohesion, the Commission presented new data on the regional deficits in relation to R & TDI in the regions in the new, and in the existing, Member States.

(1) The European Research Area: Providing New Momentum, COM(2002) 565 final.