Commission staff working document - Accompanying document to the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament - Better careers and more mobility: a european partnership for researchers - Impact assessment - Executive summary {COM(2008) aaa final} {SEC(2008) bbbb}
Date: 2008-05-23
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, dissemination of EU information, job mobility, research staff, vocational training

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 23/05/2008 
SEC(2008)1912 

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

Accompanying document to the 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 

BETTER CAREERS AND MORE MOBILITY: A EUROPEAN PARTNERSHIP FOR 
RESEARCHERS 

IMPACT ASSESSMENT  
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

{COM(2008) aaa final} 
{SEC(2008) bbbb} 

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The proposal this Impact Assessment accompanies is one of five initiatives1 planned in 2008 
to follow up the 2007 Green Paper on how to achieve a more open, competitive and attractive 
European Research Area as part of wider efforts to transform the EU economy towards more 
knowledge intensive activities.  

The 2008 Spring European Council confirmed investing in people and modernising labour 
markets, and investing in knowledge and innovation2 as priority areas for the renewed Lisbon 
Strategy for Growth and Jobs and highlighted the need to create a "fifth freedom" in Europe – 
the freedom of knowledge.  

Researchers  are  the  key  agents  for  the  creation  and  transfer  of  knowledge.  Ensuring  the 
availability  of  the  necessary  researchers  is  therefore  indispensable  for  a  competitive, 
knowledge-based  EU  economy.  The  results  of  the  public  consultation  which  followed  the 
Green Paper, suggested that a single labour market for researchers is the top priority for 
action at EU level.  

The  overall  aim  of  the  "European  researchers'  partnership"  is  to  make  rapid  and 
measurable  progress  at  national  and  EU  level  towards  making  Europe  a  more  attractive 
place for entering and pursuing a research career.  

Despite some progress, the experience of implementing the existing European strategies of 
mobility and careers and the Recommendation on the European Charter for Researchers 
and Code of Conduct for their Recruitment (Charter & Code or C&C) , has revealed that 
the  lack  of  an  integrated  framework  addressing  both  career  and  mobility  issues  and  of 
adequate engagement by the Member States, has led to slow and uneven progress.  

Over  the  years  Community  legislation  on  social  security  coordination  has  particularly 
facilitated mobility of workers. When it was adopted, longer-term mobility was the rule. But 
as highlighted in the recent EU Job Mobility Action Plan3, the current rules adopted several 
decades  ago  might  not  cover  as  efficiently  newer  forms  of  mobility  of  workers,  such  as 
researchers, that frequently work on short-term contracts in different Member States.  

There  would  therefore  be  considerable  EU  added  value  in  a  new  initiative  for  researchers 
which  could  build  upon  other  reforms  and  actions  which  are  now  underway  various  policy 
responses and alternative delivery mechanisms have been examined. 

On the present legal basis, Community legislative action would only be possible in the areas 
of  social  security  coordination  and  supplementary  pension  rights.  However,  a  new 
implementing  regulation  coordinating  social  security  schemes  and  a  directive  covering  the 
portability of supplementary pension rights are currently under negotiation and the European 
Job Mobility Action Plan 2007-2010 aims to improve existing legislation and administrative 
practices regarding workers mobility. It would therefore be premature to recommend further 
action in these areas at this time. Instead the proposed partnership will explore the possibility 
of future legislative or other actions such as Council or Commission recommendations if clear 
evidence  of  deficiencies  emerges  during  the  implementation.  The  final  choice  is  for  a 

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IP  management  by  public  research  organisations;  researchers;  pan-European  research  infrastructures; 
international S&T cooperation; joint programming  
Presidency Conclusions European Council 13-14 March 2008 
Mobility, an instrument for more and better jobs: The European Job Mobility Action Plan (2007-2010), 
COM(2007)773, 6.12.2007 

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Communication setting out a three-year partnership with Member States, contributing 
to the Lisbon objectives and process. The partnership with the Member States is expected to 
make  a  difference  by  introducing  a  dynamic  process  of  concerted  action  and  concentrating 
efforts  and  resources  on  key  areas  of  mutual  interest.  Specifically,  it  is  proposed  that  the 
partnership should make rapid, measurable progress to:  

•  systematically open recruitment;  

•  meet the social security and supplementary pensions needs of mobile researchers;  

•  provide attractive employment and working conditions; and 

•  enhance the training, skills and experience of researchers. 

Through the partnership, Member States can play their full role in the exact definition and 
implementation  of  the  process,  targeting  actions  and  priorities  to  their  needs.  The 
Commission  will  seek  to  optimise  existing  Community  instruments,  including  those 
available through the FP7 People programme, to complement national actions and support the 
partnership. The impact of individual initiatives would be greatly increased by ensuring that 
they  are  planned  and  implemented  in  a  coherent,  consistent  and  mutually  reinforcing  way, 
based  on  commonly  developed  objectives  and  focussed  on  key  areas.  Actions  should  be 
monitored at both national and EU-level according to commonly agreed indicators. The 
partnership  is  expected  to  bring  significant  change  for  the  benefit  of  researchers  and  the 
knowledge-based  economy  and  society.  It  could  help  overcome  structural,  institutional, 
national and cultural obstacles to better careers and more mobility for researchers.  

As for the other four ERA policy initiatives, the overall governance will be overseen by the 
Competitiveness Council utilising the Lisbon process and national actions to implement 
the initiative, reflected in the National Reform Programmes of the Member States.  

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