Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament - Interim Report on the follow up to the informal meeting of Heads of State and Government at Hampton Court
Date: 2005-12-07
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU migration policy, cooperation policy, economic and social cohesion, economic development, globalisation, report, research and development, summit meeting, sustainable development

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 7.12.2005 
COM(2005) 645 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 

Interim report on the follow up to the informal meeting of Heads of State and 
Government at Hampton Court 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 

Interim report on the follow up to the informal meeting of Heads of State and 
Government at Hampton Court 

This interim report consists of two parts. Part 1 sets out the general approach followed and the 
actions taken since the Hampton Court meeting. In part 2 additional information is given on 
the way the Commission is taking work forward in each Hampton Court work stream.  

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PART 1 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

At Hampton Court on 27 October 2005 the Heads of State and Government of the European 
Union had a fruitful discussion on Europe’s response to globalisation. The Communication of 
the Commission ‘European values in the globalised world’ helped to focus the discussion on 
the challenges and opportunities ahead of us. All agreed that Europe needs economic reforms 
and  social  modernisation  to  safeguard  its  values.  At  the  end  of  the  informal  meeting  the 
Commission  was  asked  to  take  the  lead  in  further  work  on  research  and  development, 
universities, demographic challenges, energy, migration and security. It was agreed that this 
work  will  not  lead  to  new  processes  or  structures  but  will  be  mainstreamed  into  existing 
channels.  President  Barroso  announced  that  he  will  present  a  concept  paper  on  the  external 
projection  of  the  European  Union  in  the  world.  Swift  and  firm  efforts  in  all  these  areas  are 
essential to boost Europe’s response to globalisation.  

2. 

APPROACH FOLLOWED BY THE COMMISSION  

On 9 November 2005 President Barroso sent a letter to Prime Minister Blair, Bundeskanzler 
Schüssel and the President of the European Parliament, Borrell, on the immediate follow up to 
the informal meeting at Hampton Court. In this information note the main issues on which the 
Commission would focus were outlined. The note also set out when and how the Commission 
would report on the work done. It was also announced that the Commission would prepare an 
interim  report  for  the  December  European  Council  to  give  additional  information  on  its 
approach  to  the  follow  up  of  each  work  stream  and  to  indicate  the  state  of  play,  also  with 
regard to the involvement of external authoritative figures.  

The  Commission  has  started  work  immediately  on  each  of  the  areas  identified  at  Hampton 
Court. As a first step, the Commission made an inventory of the issues to be addressed in each 
work  stream  taking  into  account  initiatives  under  development  in  the  Commission  and  the 
work which Member States have done to respond to the challenge of globalisation. Building 
on this basis, the challenge now is how to inject fresh thinking on these issues. 

3. 

INVOLVEMENT OF AUTHORITATIVE EXTERNAL FIGURES  

As agreed, the Commission will draw on the expertise of authoritative figures to reinforce and 
update its knowledge on these issues. Depending on the level of development and maturity of 
each  area  the  input  from  the  experts  is  likely  to  vary.  In  some  areas  a  lot  of  expertise,  for 
example in the framework of Green Paper consultations, has already been gathered. In other 
areas  wider  consultation  will  be  appropriate.  Consequently,  the  way  in  which  experts  are 
involved, varies for each work stream. In the area of research and development, for example, 
the Commission has called for contributions from a small group of experts chaired by former 
Finnish Prime Minister, Mr. Esko Aho. In the area of universities, the Commission has carried 
out  extensive  consultations  over  the  last  two  years.  The  views  of  experts  will  therefore  be 
sought on how best to take forward the conclusions drawn from these consultations. In other 
areas  the  Commission  will  contact  experts  on  an  individual  basis,  acting  rapidly  to  take 
account  of  the  fact  that  the  Commission  has  been  asked  to  report  during  the  Austrian 

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Presidency in the first half of 2006. For energy, the involvement of experts should reflect the 
specific  requirements  of  the  comprehensive  green  paper  which  the  Commission  intends  to 
produce. 

4. 

DISCUSSIONS IN THE COUNCIL  

The Council has already organised a number of debates on the follow up of Hampton Court. 
The  Commission  and  Member  States  have  shared  information  on  their  new  efforts  and 
initiatives in the various Hampton Court work streams.  

The  “Education”  Council  of  15  November  held  an  exchange  of  views  on  higher  education, 
focussing  on  how  the  quality  of  higher  education  could  be  improved  and  on  promoting  top 
quality  universities.  The  relationship  between  business,  universities  and  research  was  also 
raised. Member States underlined their commitment to introduce reforms on higher education, 
the importance of promoting partnership with the private sector, the need to develop Centres 
of  Excellence  and  to  guarantee  internationally  recognised  high  standards  in  order  to  attract 
students. 

The  “Competitiveness”  Council  on  28  November  reached  a  partial  general  approach  on  the 
proposed  7th  Framework  Programme  for  research  and  development.  The  Council  adopted 
conclusions endorsing the Commission’s Communication on “More Research and Innovation 
-  Investing  for  Growth  and  Employment”,  addressing  the  full  research  and  innovation 
spectrum and making explicit the commitments taken by the Community Lisbon Programme. 
In  a  debate  on  the  follow  up  of  Hampton  Court  Ministers  confirmed  the  importance  of 
promoting research and development and recalled the main actions already undertaken in this 
respect.  

The “Energy” Council meeting on 1 December has been devoted to the implementation of the 
internal energy market and its practical impact. The Commission's report on this issue and its 
initial findings on the energy sector were the basis for the discussion. A Presidency note dealt 
with  implementation,  enforcement  and  transparency;  further  market  integration;  improved 
third  party  access  to  networks.  The  Commission  provided  information  on  the  forthcoming 
Green Paper on a European Energy Policy. The Council also discussed Climate Change and 
Sustainable Energy, referring to the Green Paper on energy efficiency. This debate served also 
as a contribution to the preparation of the future action plan on energy efficiency.  

The  “Justice  and  Home  Affairs”  Council  on  1-2  December  provided  an  opportunity  for  the 
Commission  to  present  its  Communication  on  ‘Priority  actions  for  responding  to  the 
challenges of migration: first follow-up to Hampton Court’. The Council had a first exchange 
of views on the Communication, in advance of further discussion at the December European 
Council. The Council also agreed the new EU counter-terrorism strategy, which the European 
Council is expected to endorse. 

At  the  “Employment,  Social  Policy,  Health  and  Consumers  Affairs”  Council  of  8-9 
December,  the  Commission's  Green  Paper  on  Confronting  Demographic  Change:  a  new 
solidarity  between  the  generations"  will  be  the  basis  for  an  exchange  of  views.  The 
Presidency will table a note with questions on possible national initiatives aimed to increase 
the  overall  employment  rate  for  people  of  working  age  and  to  maximise  the  employment 
opportunities for young people, older workers and other disadvantaged groups. 

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5. 

REPORTING 

As agreed at Hampton Court the Commission will report in a comprehensive manner to the 
two European Councils during the Austrian Presidency in the first half of 2006. In view of the 
first inventory of ongoing and planned work for 2006 the Commission will try to link, where 
appropriate  and  suitable,  its  reporting  to  existing  commitments  and  procedures  in  order  to 
make optimal use of synergies and to avoid overlaps.  

For  this  reason,  the  work  on  Research  and  Development,  Universities,  Energy  and 
Demographic Challenges will be closely related to reporting in the framework of the Lisbon 
Strategy for Growth and Jobs. The Annual Progress Report for the Spring European Council 
will reflect these issues in particular. The Commission will also present short reports on the 
above  mentioned  areas  which  will  benefit  from  contributions  from  authoritative  external 
figures.  These  reports  might  include  proposals  for  further  elaboration,  eventually  leading  to 
new actions or initiatives at European level.  

Reporting  on  Migration  will  be  combined  with  a  number  of  Commission  initiatives  and 
proposals  foreseen  for  next  year.  The  monitoring  of  the  proposed  initiatives  and  the  first 
results should enable the Commission to report back to the Council by the end of 2006. In this 
respect synergies with the existing the Hague Programme – the main framework for measures 
in the area of justice, freedom and security – will be sought.  

Obviously, the scope of reporting on Security will depend to a great extent on the results of 
the  European  Council  of  December  2005.  The  UK  Presidency  and  the  Counter  Terrorism 
Coordinator have prepared a proposal for a counter terrorism strategy.  

The concept paper on strengthening the external projection of the European Union is foreseen 
for the June 2006 European Council. This paper will review the internal and external policies 
of the European Union that help to determine its role in the world.  

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PART 2 

1. 

THE HAMPTON COURT WORK STREAMS 

Building  on  the  information  already  provided  in  the  Information  Note  of  9  November,  the 
following paragraphs describe the state of play regarding the main issues to be addressed in 
every Hampton Court work stream. They list the main initiatives at European level recently 
tabled or planned for 2006. 

2. 

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT  

A  new  impetus  is  needed  to  increase  significantly  Europe’s  research  and  development  and 
innovative  capacity.  It  is  especially  important  to  have  more  leading  companies  working  in 
areas like ICT, space, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. A major impetus will be given if 
we have agreements on the 7th Research Framework Programme and the Competitiveness and 
Innovation  Programme.  However,  more  needs  to  be  done  if  Europe  is  to  become  a  more 
attractive  place  to  invest  in  research  and  development.  It  is  crucial  to  get  the  financing  for 
small  high-potential  companies  right  and  to  address  the  brain  drain  of  Europe’s  best  and 
brightest. 

The  Commission  is  working  on  a  number  of  initiatives  which  are  directly  relevant  to  the 
above  issues.  Building  on  the  7th  Framework  Programme,  the  communication  on  state  aid, 
i2010,  the  strategic  guidelines  for  cohesion  policy,  etc.,  the  Commission  will  table  a 
communication in the first quarter of 2006 identifying priority actions to increase investment 
in  R&D  financing,  to  create  attractive  markets  and  to  contribute  to  growth  of  European 
innovative firms, in particular SMEs. The Commission will try to specify concrete examples 
of public R&D funding where it has been possible to facilitate access to finance, to remove 
obstacles to cross-border investments, to increase the leverage effect on private sector R&D 
financing and to foster public-private partnerships. In this respect, the Commission will look 
into  aspects  of  the  application  of  state  aid  legislation  and  competition  rules  in  order  to 
facilitate  R&D  and  innovation.  The  Commission  will  also  present  a  Communication  on 
defence  industries  and  markets,  aiming  to  encourage  the  competitiveness  of  the  European 
defence sector through appropriate market legislation and R&D programmes.  

3. 

UNIVERSITIES  

Universities  are  the  locus  where  education,  research  and  innovation  meet.  The  conditions 
must  be  put  in  place  to  enable  them  to  maximise  their  potential.  This  means  addressing 
questions on funding levels and sources, on regulatory frameworks and management systems, 
on ensuring access to higher education and, crucially, on how universities transfer innovation 
and skills to the market. Universities now operate in a global market for higher education and 
research.  European  universities  stand  a  good  chance  to  benefit  from  the  opportunities  this 
market offers, for example through partnerships with higher education and research centres in 
third countries as well as with business. European universities could reinforce their position if 
they can attract and keep the best brains – in terms of teachers, students and researchers – and 
better  exploit  the  knowledge  they  generate.  Specifically,  more  needs  to  be  done  to  improve 

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the  training  of  post-graduates.  Also,  better  and  more  diversified  funding  and  closer 
university/business cooperation is needed.  

Building  on  the  work  done  so  far,  the  Commission  will  seek  the  views  of  experts  on  the 
concrete steps that must now be taken. 

In this context, the Commission intends to come forward with a Communication on European 
higher education systems and in particular universities. It will look into ways of enhancing the 
research  and  innovation  performance  of  European  Universities.  Further  to  its  recent  public 
consultation, the Commission will table a proposal in the first quarter of 2006 to establish a 
European  Institute  for  Technology  with  the  aim  of  enhancing  Europe’s  top-rank  university 
capacity.  

4. 

DEMOGRAPHIC CHALLENGES 

In the next decades fewer Europeans will be of working age. Europe needs to widen its labour 
marker participation and also to review the work-life balance. More family friendly policies 
and better child care are important components in this new approach as are life long learning 
and  greater  participation  of  older  workers.  In  this  context,  policies  promoting  equal 
opportunities  for  all  can  provide  a  positive  contribution  to  increase  labour  market 
participation and reinforce social inclusion. 

The Commission is currently analysing the responses it received to its 2005 Green Paper and 
is preparing proposals on a better and fairer work-life balance. The Commission will involve 
external  experts  and  will  use  their  contributions  to  underpin  new  proposals.  Before  the 
summer the Commission will present a Communication on the demographic future of Europe. 
The Commission will also present the results of the analytical studies prepared under the pilot 
action of the European Parliament (‘Walter Initiative’) and a number of additional proposals 
for  further  action.  Later  in  2006  the  Commission  will  present  a  European  Qualifications 
Framework to facilitate the transparency, transfer and recognition of qualification in Europe 
through a set of common reference levels. The Commission will also propose a roadmap for 
achieving  further  equality  between  men  and  women  in  order  to  tackle  remaining  obstacles, 
especially in the labour market.  

5. 

ENERGY 

World demand for energy will increase further whilst supply remains tight. Energy efficiency 
and cleaner technologies are becoming more important for economic, security of supply and 
environmental reasons. Europe has to diversify its sources of energy, in order to benefit from 
a broad range of energy sources. In view of the challenges of global warming special attention 
to  low/zero  emission  energy  production  and  to  renewable  energy  sources  is  needed.  This  is 
also relevant in view of the security of supply.  

In spring 2006 the Commission will publish a Green Paper on a European energy policy, with 
a  view  to  developing  a  coherent  EU  policy  combining  competitiveness,  sustainability  and 
security  of  energy  supply.  Various  aspects  of  the  European  energy  market  will  be  assessed, 
for  example  the  level  of  integration  of  the  European  grid.  Relations  with  external  suppliers 
will also be reviewed. During the first half  of  2006  the  Commission  plans  to  bring  forward 
other energy initiatives, for example on biofuels and biomass and on the use of clean coal. An 

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action plan on energy efficiency based on agreement on the energy efficiency directive, could 
aim to make the 20% energy saving objective by 2020 a reality.  

A Green Paper on adaptation to climate change and a Communication on the reduction of CO2 
emissions from cars will be published in the third quarter. Some of these long-term challenges 
in this field will be also covered in the upcoming revision of the EU Sustainable Development 
Strategy. 

6. 

MIGRATION  

Legal migration can make a positive contribution to Europe’s economy and knowledge base. 
An active policy on legal migration and integration will, at the same time, be accompanied by 
a  strong  approach  to  fighting  illegal  migration.  The  European  Union  will  continue  its 
comprehensive  dialogue  with  third  countries  aiming  to  improve  migration  management, 
addressing  the  root  causes  of  illegal  migration,  promoting  legal  migration  opportunities, 
fighting illegal migration and trafficking of human beings.  

A  Communication  on  ‘Priority  actions  for  responding  to  the  challenges  of  migration:  first 
follow-up to Hampton Court’ has already been adopted by the Commission on 30 November 
2005 and the European Council is expected to identify concrete actions focussing on Africa 
and the Mediterranean countries. A Communication on illegal migration will be presented in 
the first semester of 2006. 

The Commission will also publish shortly an Action Plan on legal immigration. This plan will 
indicate  a  series  of  legislative  and  non-legislative  actions  that  the  Commission  intends  to 
launch  in  the  period  2006-2009.  The  focus  in  the  action  plan  will  be  on  positive  economic 
impacts  of  legal  migration,  improving  knowledge  building  and  integration  measures  for 
economic migrants.  

7. 

SECURITY 

The  security  of  Europe’s  citizens  is  a  key  concern,  especially  in  the  light  of  recent  terrorist 
attacks.  Preventing  radicalisation  and  protecting  our  critical  infrastructure  are  of  pivotal 
importance.  We  also  have  to  work  more  effectively  with  countries  outside  the  European 
Union’s borders on all justice and home affairs issues. This cooperation should make use of 
available mechanisms to tackle terrorists, human and drug trafficking.  

The Presidency and the Counter Terrorism Coordinator have made a proposal for a European 
counter terrorism strategy. The December 2005 European Council will discuss this strategy. 
In relation to counter terrorism the Commission is fulfilling its obligations under the Plan of 
Action adopted following the Madrid attacks and the Hague Programme. This takes account 
of the new timetable established following the London bombings.  

Next  year  will  be  crucial  for  the  implementation  of  the  policies  and  legislative  proposals 
submitted by the Commission in 2005, for example on the exchange of information (principle 
of  availability),  comprising  data  protection  and  access  to  the  Visa  Information  System, 
radicalisation  and  recruitment,  critical  infrastructure  protection,  financing  of  terrorism  and 
explosives. 

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8. 

EXTERNAL DIMENSION  

In view of the wide-ranging effects of globalisation a strong and coherent external projection 
of the European Union is required. Europe’s role in the world is determined by the Union’s 
internal and external policies. European citizens expect the Union to act in a consistent and 
resolute  way  towards  the  wider  world.  The  European  Union  must  increase  the  coherence, 
effectiveness and visibility of its external actions.  

The  Commission  is  working  on  a  concept  paper  examining  the  external  dimension  of  the 
Union. The objectives of the concept paper will be to survey the internal and external policies 
and instruments that determine the Union’s external role. The concept paper will also go into 
the  EU’s  capacities  and  capabilities  and  develop  an  approach  and  a  series  of  practical 
measures  to  help  the  EU  respond  to  current  challenges.  It  will  aim  to  achieve  further 
coherence  between  CFSP  and  Community  instruments  and  between  EU  level  and  Member 
States’  policies.  It  should  also  lead  to  greater  visibility  and  recognition  for  the  real 
achievements  and  progress  of  the  Union’s  external  role,  and  greater  coherence  between  EU 
internal  and  external  policies,  while  preserving  accountability  both  to  the  other  European 
institutions and to the public in general. 

In the last three years, during which there has been a major expansion of ESDP operations, 
both  the  Council  and  the  Commission  have  gained  valuable  experience  in  assessing  their 
respective capabilities and in facing the sometimes difficult questions raised by cooperation at 
all levels between Community and CFSP structures. Following the Hampton Court meeting, 
the SG/HR Javier Solana has been asked to take forward work on the EU’s defence capacities, 
crisis management structures, CFSP funding  and  the Union’s role in Kosovo, in association 
with the Presidency and the Commission. The Commission welcomes the opportunity to build 
on  the  EU’s  achievements  in  these  areas,  in  particular  by  further  developing  the  range  and 
effectiveness  of  Community  policies  that  contribute  to  crisis  management  and  support 
CFSP/ESDP.  This  work  should  also  reflect  the  need  to  ensure  a  smooth  transition  between 
crisis  management  and  long-term  reconstruction  and  development.  The  Commission  further 
welcomes the aim of improving the speed and responsiveness of CFSP funding, in particular 
in preparation for the next Financial Perspectives. 

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Annex 

Hampton Court follow-up: authoritative figures to be consulted 

The following authoritative figures have been identified as external experts to be consulted by 
the  Commission  in  the  implementation  of  the  follow-up  to  Hampton  Court.  Other  experts 
could be associated in different forms to the work to be carried out. 

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 

-  AHO, Esko 
-  CONSEMÜLLER, Knut 
-  CORNU, Jo 
-  GEORGHIOU, Luke 
-  SUBIRÀ, Antoni 

UNIVERSITIES 

-  BLANCHARD, Olivier 
-  CREWE, Ivor 
-  MAYOR, Frederico 
-  MONTI, Mario 
-  NIELSEN, Linda 
-  SOKOL, Jan 
-  WINCKLER, Georg 

MEETING THE DEMOGRAPHIC CHALLENGE 

-  BÖRSCH-SUPAN, Axel 
-  DON, Henk 
-  GODET, Michel  
-  KALACHE, Alexandre 
-  RYCHTARIKOVA, Jitka 

ENERGY

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-  BORGES, Antonio 
-  HAIDER, Hans 
-  LARSSON, Allan 
-  SUTHERLAND, Peter 

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There may be recourse to a wider group of experts if necessary in the context of the preparation of the 
Green Paper. 

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