COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS MAKING RAW MATERIALS AVAILABLE FOR EUROPE'S FUTURE WELL-BEINGPROPOSAL FOR A EUROPEAN INNOVATION PARTNERSHIP ON RAW MATERIALS
Date: 2012-02-29
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: industrial cooperation, innovation, management of resources, raw material, research and development, security of supply, technical cooperation

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 29.2.2012  
COM(2012) 82 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL 
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

MAKING RAW MATERIALS AVAILABLE FOR EUROPE'S FUTURE WELL-
BEING 
PROPOSAL FOR A EUROPEAN INNOVATION PARTNERSHIP ON RAW 
MATERIALS 

{SWD(2012) 27 final} 

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MAKING RAW MATERIALS AVAILABLE FOR EUROPE’S FUTURE WELL-
BEING 

PROPOSAL FOR A EUROPEAN INNOVATION PARTNERSHIP ON RAW 
MATERIALS 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The strategic importance of a sustainable supply of raw materials to the EU – for its industry 
and society as a whole – has been well recognised in different strategic policy documents such 
as  the  Raw  Materials  Initiative1  proposed  by  the  European  Commission,  related  Council 
Conclusions2 and Report from the EP3. The Europe 2020 Strategy highlighted the importance 
of  this  issue  both  within  the  "Industrial  policy"4  and  "Resource  efficiency"5  Flagship 
initiatives. Moreover, the importance of an efficient use of resources has been highlighted in 
the associated Roadmap on Resource Efficiency6. These documents clearly outlined the new 
challenges and risks related to supply shortages and of an inefficient use of resources faced by 
the EU in view of the mounting global competition for raw materials. Paradoxically, for some 
decades, Europe has seen its role as a supplier of raw materials being progressively reduced. 
The complexity and urgency of the issues at stake have made it very clear that a continuation 
of “business as usual" is no longer an option for Europe. 

This is where innovation  comes  into  play. A new paradigm is emerging in the  21st century 
which points us to innovation as a driving force that has, so far, remained largely untapped in 
Europe  in  the  area  of  raw  materials.  In  2010  the  Commission  has  set  out,  as  part  of  the 
Innovation  Union  flagship  initiative7,  the  appropriate  framework  of  European  Innovation 
Partnerships (EIPs). Such Partnerships will be launched in cases where the combined strength 
of  public  and  private  efforts  at  regional,  national  and  EU  level  in  innovation  and  R&D  and 
demand-side  measures  are  needed  to  achieve  societal  targets  quicker  and  more  efficiently. 
This is the case for raw materials as presented in this Communication.  

This  Partnership  will  target  non-energy,  non-agricultural  raw  materials,  including  but  not 
limited  to  the  EU’s  list  of  critical  raw  materials8.  Hence  it  also  covers  other  metallic  ones, 
industrial and construction minerals as well as other industrial raw materials such as natural 
rubber  and  wood.  Many  of  these  materials  are  vital  inputs  for  innovative  technologies  that 
offer environmentally-friendly, clean-technology applications. They are also essential for the 
manufacture  of  crucial  alloys,  new  and  innovative  products  required  by  our  modern  society 
like,  for  instance,  batteries  for  electric  cars,  photovoltaic  systems  and  devices  for  wind 
turbines,  which  enable  meeting  the  renewable  energy  objectives.  The  common  objective  of 
this  Partnership  will  be  that,  by  2020,  Europe  will  have  made  a  great  step  in  reducing  its 
import dependency on raw materials. This will be achieved through accelerating innovations 

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8 

COM (2008)699 and COM (2011)25 
Council Conclusions 6909/11 of 10 March 2011 
European Parliament resolution of 13 September 2011 
COM(2010) 614 
COM(2011)21 
COM(2011) 571 final 
COM (2010) 546  
As defined in COM(2011)25 

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that  ensure  secure,  sustainable  supplies  of  both  primary  and  secondary  raw  materials  or 
prevent wastage of key raw materials during all their life cycle. 

This proposal takes into account the lessons learnt in the context of the pilot EIP “Active and 
Healthy Aging”. It also builds on various inputs from Member States, research communities 
and other stakeholders gathered in the context of different meetings, workshops and events as 
well as a public consultation which were organised throughout 2010 and 2011. 

2. 

OPPORTUNITIES FOR INNOVATION ALONG THE RAW MATERIALS VALUE CHAIN 

For many years the basic geological exploration and mapping in the EU has been carried out 
by  national  geological  surveys  that  have  to  operate  within  the  constraints  of  national 
frameworks and regulations. Today, the full  benefits of an appropriate coordination or even 
integration of some of the activities of the EU’s different 27 geological surveys has not been 
achieved.  Yet,  innovative  thinking  based  on  increased  networking  and  cooperation  offers  a 
huge  potential  to  move  forward.  Setting  European  standards  will  facilitate  the  creation  of  a 
uniform  EU  geological  knowledge  base,  and  can  also  lead  to  a  more  cost-effective 
development  and  use  of  required  modern  technologies,  such  as  satellite-based  resource 
information and advanced 4D computer modelling systems.  

Over the last 50 years the EU’s share in global mining has decreased substantially. This has 
resulted in a loss of essential expertise and skills. However, such skills are required to ensure 
the safety of mining activities and to meet the potential growing need to extract more deeply, 
in remoter areas and under harsh conditions (e.g. seabed, Arctic region). While high standards 
for safer and more environmentally-friendly extraction techniques create new challenges, they 
also create new market opportunities. It would also help reduce the risk of major accidents in 
the mining sector. However, these expertise and skills are not only requested in extraction, but 
along the whole value chain (exploration, processing, recycling, substitution).  

Even  if  Europe,  as  a  whole,  has  made  significant  progress,  notably  in  terms  of  waste 
recycling,  more  can  be  done  to  avoid  the  wastage  of  valuable  raw  materials  at  all  stages  of 
their life cycle. A full application of the first steps of European "waste hierarchy" (prevention, 
followed  by  preparation  for  re-use  and  recycling)  could  avoid  irremediable  loss  of  valuable 
resources and create new business and job opportunities in the EU.  

Innovation  can  be  a  powerful  vehicle  in  meeting  these  challenges.  Expertise  in  engineering 
and  processing  has  developed  in  other  emerging  areas  such  as  in  robotics  and  in  other  key 
enabling  technologies  (KETs).  The  introduction  of  advanced  remote-controlled  operations 
and automation in underground mines and the innovative use of bioleaching to extract nickel 
and  other  metals  in  an  eco-friendly  and  cost-effective  way  render  mining  in  the  EU  more 
competitive and sustainable. New monitoring techniques including the use of satellite based 
technologies could allow preventing major accidents. Innovation is also very important for the 
processing  stage  where  advanced  technological  solutions  are  needed  for  efficient  water 
management,  energy  consumption  and  recycling  (as  for  example  in  the  case  of  critical  raw 
materials like indium and gallium which are derived from base metals).  

The  more  advanced  the  EU  becomes  in  developing  this  innovative  approach,  the  better 
equipped it will become in playing a leading role in introducing new environmentally-friendly 
and  resource  efficient  technologies,  in  Europe  and  in  third  countries.  This  may  have  an 
additional positive side-effect through the dissemination of best practices, which will in turn 
contribute  to  a  better  preservation  of  the  environment  worldwide.  Sustainable  and  resource 

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efficient  management  of  raw  materials,  increasing  preparation  for  re-use  and  recycling, 
harvesting  and  mobilisation  of  wood-based  materials  can  contribute  not  only  to  halt 
biodiversity losses, to reduce worldwide Green House Gas emissions but also to secure supply 
of  raw  materials  and  address  scarcity  of,  for  example,  wood-based  fibre  for  recycling,  in 
Europe.  

The  huge  increase  in  sales  of  modern  communication  devices  -  such  as  mobile  phones  and 
laptops - that tend to have a high replacement rate, has created a huge potential of valuable 
waste  (“our  Urban  mines”).  A  mobile  phone  contains  today  more  than  40  different  raw 
materials, such as cobalt, gallium, platinum and rare earths elements. Nowadays, each citizen 
in  the  EU  generates  around  17  kg  of  electrical  and  electronic  equipment  waste  (WEEE) 
annually, a figure which is predicted to rise to 24 kg by 20209. However, the recycling of rare 
earths  elements  from  electronic  devices,  for  example,  is  currently  challenging  from  a 
technological  but  also  an  economic  point  of  view.  Separate  collection  of  waste  has  to  be 
further  encouraged  and  markets  need  to  be  supported  to  move  ahead.  Moreover,  preventing 
illegal  exports  and  inappropriate  treatment  of  waste  can  lead  to  considerable  environmental 
benefits  and  recuperation  of  valuable  materials  (e.g.  metal  scrap,  recovered  paper  for 
recycling).  

New  cost-effective  and  environmentally-sound  recycling  techniques  and  best  practices 
regarding the collection and treatment of waste offer the possibility to improve the recycling 
of  key  raw  materials.  As  an  illustration,  the  recent  development  of  special  adhesives  that 
contain encoded information on the basis of unique chemical identifiers may contribute to the 
fight  against  illegal  trafficking  and  theft  of  metal  products  and  scrap.  In  addition,  some 
Member States have substantially increased their collection and recycling rates by putting in 
place  appropriate  economic  instruments  including  performing  producer  responsibility 
schemes to support separate collection, re-use and recycling. 

Moreover,  many  applications  rely  on  key  raw  materials  that  are  currently  very  difficult,  or 
even virtually impossible, to substitute due to their specific physical and chemical properties. 
Substitution can be used to either develop alternative materials in certain applications, or to 
replace  those  applications  by  an  equivalent  technology  that  does  not  rely  on  the  key  raw 
materials. For example, the development of ceramic high-temperature superconductors could 
become  a  substitute  for  permanent  magnets  in  wind  turbines  which  currently  use  rare  earth 
elements such as neodymium and dysprosium. 

In a nutshell, the above examples show that: 

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• 

• 

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innovation is a necessary condition for Europe to regain a role and a presence in the 
resource  efficient  use  and  sustainable  supply  of  raw  materials,  without  which  the 
sustainability of its entire economy will be undermined 

innovation is needed to maintain and improve the competitiveness of the EU industry 
and to ensure an efficient use of resources in the European Union 

innovation  is  needed  along  the  entire  raw  materials  value  chain,  thus  requiring  a 
comprehensive  approach  to  tackle  the  different  challenges  the  EU  will  face  in  the 
coming years. 

Source IPA (International Platinum Group Metals Association): www.ipa-news.com 

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This  situation  calls  for  targeted  innovation  and  research  efforts,  breakthrough  technologies 
and multidisciplinary approaches to bridge the gaps in our knowledge. 

3. 

ADDED VALUE OF THE EUROPEAN INNOVATION PARTNERSHIP IN RAW MATERIALS 

The  support  already  provided  by  the  Council  and  the  European  Parliament  to  the  EU  raw 
materials and resource efficiency strategies put forward by the Commission demonstrates that 
there  is  a  growing  awareness  of  the  need  to  tackle  the  above-mentioned  challenges  at  both 
European and national levels. Closer cooperation in the EU between public bodies, but also 
between public and private players, will provide the impetus needed to overcome the major 
obstacles.  

These obstacles include (see also section 1.3 in annex): 

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• 

• 

Insufficient critical mass towards a single objective;  

insufficient co-operation between Member States in different domains related to raw 
materials; 

Lack  of  integrated  approach  to  'value  chains'  from  extraction  and  process  of  raw 
material, product design and use to end of life; 

Very  limited  co-operation  between  national  research  organisations  and  high 
fragmentation of the European Research Area in the field; 

Under-developed EU geopolitical role in ensuring access for European companies to 
raw  materials  in  the  world  while  respecting  as  far  as  possible  European 
environmental standards. 

The EIP's real added value will therefore be to provide a platform that aims to put together the 
relevant  policies  and  actors  at  Community  level,  but  without  replacing  the  existing  legal 
decision-making process at EU level.  

3.1. 

Scope and objectives 

This  EIP  will  contribute  to  the  mid-  and  long-term  security  of  sustainable  supply  of  raw 
materials (including critical raw materials, industrial minerals and wood-based materials) that 
are  required  to  meet  the  fundamental  needs  of  a  modern  resource  efficient  society.  It  is  an 
essential  contribution  to  the  competitiveness  of  European  industries,  to  increased  resource 
efficiency in the EU, and to the development of new European-based recycling activities. 

The EIP has an overall target of reducing Europe's import dependency on the raw materials 
that are critical to Europe's industries. This will be achieved by providing Europe with enough 
flexibility and alternatives in the supply of important raw materials, whilst taking into account 
the  importance  of  mitigating  the  negative  environmental  impacts  of  some  materials  during 
their life cycle, thus making Europe the world leader in the capabilities related to exploration, 
extraction,  processing,  recycling  and  substitution  by  2020.  As  part  of  its  Strategic 
Implementation Plan (SIP), the EIP will be expected to set out impact targets to measure its 
success, for example in terms of  major reductions in the import dependency of some  of the 
most critical raw materials. 

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In addition, the Commission proposes some specific, concrete targets to be achieved by 2020 
at the latest, such as:  

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• 

European standardised statistical instruments for the survey of resources and reserves 
(land and marine) and a 3-D geological map;  

a dynamic modelling system linking trends in supply and demand with economical 
exploitable  reserves  and  a  full  lifecycle  analysis  including  an  assessment  of  the 
environmental, economic and social impacts of various scenarios;  

up  to  ten  innovative  pilot  actions  (e.g.  demonstration  plants)  for  exploration, 
extraction and processing, collection and recycling;  

substitutes for at least three key applications of critical and scarce raw materials;  

a Network of Research, Education and Training Centres on Sustainable Mining and 
Materials  Management  (M³),  whilst  ensuring  appropriate  coordination  with  the 
possible  European  Institute  of  Innovation  and  Technology  (EIT)  -  Knowledge  and 
Innovation Community (KIC) on sustainable exploration, extraction, processing and 
recycling;  

enhanced  efficiency  in  material  use  and  in  prevention,  re-use  and  recycling  of 
valuable raw materials from waste streams, with a specific focus on materials having 
a potentially negative impact on the environment; 

identified  opportunities  and  develop  new  ideas  for  innovative  raw  materials  and 
products with market potential; 

a  pro-active  strategy  of  the  EU  in  multi-lateral  organisations  and  in  bilateral 
relations,  such as the US, Japan, Australia in the different areas covered by the EIP. 

These targets will also allow for adequate follow-up and monitoring of the functioning of the 
EIP, including the work to be carried out and the results achieved. 

3.2.  Mechanisms 
The added value of the EIP is that it will apply major innovation mechanisms10 including the 
following broad categories, to deliver common objectives (as stated above in section 3.1): 

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Support  to  the  development  of  innovations;  both  technology-based  and  non-
technology-based,  such  as  new  combinations  of  products-services,  new  services, 
better design of products in order to ensure their recyclability at the end of their life, 
user-driven design, new policy tools for research and innovation; 
Stimulating excellence in the science base and investing in people (skills); 
Support  to  targeted  innovative  regulatory  action  and/or  cooperation  with  Member 
States to improve innovation-friendly regulatory framework conditions; 
Promotion of targeted standardisation and public procurement instruments; 

As defined in COM(2010)546 

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• 

Bringing  policy-tools  and  organisations  (policy  makers,  agencies, 
industry, 
researchers)  working  on  supply  and  on  demand-sides  together  to  speed  up  time-to-
market and dissemination of innovations.  

The  above  instruments  may  act  either  in  the  supply  or  in  the  demand  side  of  the  market. 
However, on both sides, an adequate monitoring of results must be assured. 

Supply-side: 

National 
R&I funding by MS and regions 
Skills and training in MS 

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International (EU level) 
Eureka, Eurostars, ERANet 
Framework programmes by EU 

FP7 (Cooperation, PPPs, Cost, JTIs, ERANet, 
ESFRI…) 
EIT KICs 
CIP 

EIB tools 
Structural Funds 

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Demand-side: 

National 
Regulation (incl. regulatory implementation) 
Procurement in MS and regions  

International (EU level) 
Standards/ Labelling 
Regulation (incl. regulatory implementation) 
Public procurement 
IP and knowledge transfer 
Market monitoring  

International (worldwide) 
Trade policy 
Policy dialogue 

On the 'supply side', investments in research on mining, substitution, resource efficiency and 
recycling need to be better aligned with the common objectives of the Innovation Partnership 
in  order  to  create  the  necessary  critical  mass,  because  no  national  or  European  research 
programme  can  cover  all  aspects  and  the  research  investments  and  risks  are  too  large  for 
many  private  companies.  This  calls  for  a  strong  involvement  of  existing  networks  (e.g. 
ERANET  in  materials,  European  Technology  Platform  on  Sustainable  Mineral  Resources, 
Forest-based  Sector  Technology  Platform  and  other  ETPs)  and  the  promotion  of  new 
networks of researchers and funding organisations, both public and private, in Europe. For the 
future EU research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020, the Commission has proposed 
a  specific  objective  to  address  the  societal  challenge  of  "climate  action,  resource  efficiency 
and raw materials". 

While Europe has had some tradition in funding research and innovation in this area, there is 
further  significant  potential11  on  the  demand-side  for  bringing  new  products  and services to 
the  market.  Accelerating  the  'time-to-market'  of  innovations  is  particularly  important  for 
SMEs.  Therefore,  this  EIP  should  incentivise  innovation  through  both  supply  and  demand-
sides,  when  possible  and  appropriate  via  tools  such  as  legislation,  public  procurement,  life 
cycle  analysis,  IPR,  and  standards.  Innovation  related  to  Sustainable  Consumption  and 
Production policies should be particularly relevant. Incentives for sustainable and innovation-
friendly  public  procurement  already  exist  in  Europe,  and  Lead  Market  Initiative's  type 
networks  of  public  procurers12  could  be  established  and  the  wider  use  of  EU  Green  Public 

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See  2006  Aho  Report  "Creating  an  Innovative  Europe,  the  2007  Lead Market Initiative  and  the  2010 
OECD Innovation Strategy  
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/innovation/policy/public-procurement/pp-networks_en.htm  

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Procurement criteria13 applied in this EIP to promote the uptake and dissemination of (eco-) 
innovations. 

3.3.  Work packages 

Based  on  inputs  from  stakeholders  and  from  policymakers,  the  possible  actions  to  be  taken 
have  been  grouped  under  five  headings  or  'work  packages'  (WPs).  These  WPs,  which  will 
include  actions  both  on  the  supply  and  on  the  demand-side,  will  not  work  on  a  stand-alone 
mutually-exclusive basis. Rather, the individual WPs will interact with one another and there 
is  even  some  intentional  overlap  between  them.  Moreover,  they  can  be  adapted  to  address 
changing needs and to capture new opportunities. 

The governance structure will encourage cooperation, thereby breaking-down walls between 
policies, sectors, geographical distance or organisational cultures. For example, some mining 
technologies  could  also  be  applied  in  recycling,  or  vice-versa.  It  will  also  be  a  way  to 
introduce  better  cooperation  between  large  companies  and  SMEs,  as  well  as  among  SMEs 
themselves, for example through regional clusters. 

The following work packages for the EIP are proposed (a detailed description of each WP is 
outlined in section 2 of annex): 

Technology-focussed policy areas 
WP  1  -  Developing  innovative  technologies  and  solutions  for  sustainable  and  safe  raw 
technology 
materials  supply;  extraction,  processing  and  recycling.  Complementing 
development, this WP aims to produce standardisation roadmaps for these areas, while having 
in mind costs for business. 

WP  2  -  Developing  innovative  and  sustainable  solutions  for  the  appropriate  substitution  of 
critical and scarce materials. The first set of priority actions may be derived from the list of 
critical  raw  materials  and  from  the  most  economically-important  and  ecologically-sensitive 
applications.  

Non Technology-focussed policy areas 
WP  3  -  Improving  Europe's  raw  materials  regulatory  framework,  knowledge  and 
infrastructure  bases.  This  WP  aims  to  build  and  standardise  geological  data,  and  to  identify 
and  exchange  best  practices  in  defining  policies  for  minerals,  land  planning  and  regulation 
thereof in the Member States. It will also support actions to promote technical excellence and 
skills needed in Europe.  

WP 4 - Improving the regulatory framework conditions, notably by promoting excellence and 
prevention, preparation for re-use and recycling through public (e.g. procurement) and private 
initiatives.  This  WP  aims  at  optimising  the  raw  materials  added  value,  improving  the 
profitability  and  reducing  the  cost  of  recycling  by  enhancing  efficiency  in  the  collection, 
sorting and recycling of valuable raw materials from waste streams. It will also apply product, 
standardisation and certification policies as well as economic instruments for this aim.  

International cooperation – horizontal approach 

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http://ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/gpp_criteria_en.htm    

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WP 5 - recognises the global market place of securing access to raw materials and promoting 
the use of environmentally friendly extraction and processing technologies, and may deal with 
research and innovation, improving the knowledge base, trade policy and policy dialogue with 
international  organisations,  such  as  the  African  Union,  OECD,  World  Bank,  G20,  and  in 
bilateral  relations.  A  particular  attention  will  be  paid  to  the  possibility  of  better  synergies 
between this initiative and the different policies related to Overseas Countries and Territories 
(OCTs). 

3.4. 

Governance structure 

The EIP's governance structure will follow the principles set-out in the Innovation Union; it 
aims to balance the need for high-level commitment and functional coordination on the one 
hand, with strong decentralised operational responsibilities to ensure effective ownership by 
practitioners and other key stakeholders on the other. Lessons learnt in the pilot EIP “Active 
and Healthy Aging”14 on defining governance, scope, planning and stakeholder involvement 
have been applied to meet the needs of this EIP.  

This EIP will bring together representatives of the public sector (from EU to national, regional 
and local levels), industry (including SMEs), civil society and other stakeholders, to support 
both  the  development  of  innovation  and  its  take-up  and  dissemination  in  the  market. 
However,  the  underlying  principle  is  that  the  EIP  will  provide  a  pragmatic,  flexible,  non-
bureaucratic setting that will allow for different interests to be represented.  

This approach is reflected in the following working methods at operational level (more details 
in section 3 in annex): 

The High Level Steering Group (HLSG) will provide strategic advice and guidance for this 
EIP  on  the  basis  of  a  well  defined  mandate.  The  HLSG  will,  however,  not  impinge  on  the 
formal decision-making process outlined under Community law. Its composition will reflect 
the  key  constituencies  in  this  Partnership,  including  representatives,  appointed  in  their 
personal capacity, of Member States, the EP, companies, academics, research centres, NGOs 
and other institutions. At the same time, the group will be limited in number in order to ensure 
effectiveness. The HLSG will be entrusted to develop a SIP, recommending priority lines of 
action.  Following  the  response  to  this  plan,  the  HLSG  will  help  ensure  progress  during  the 
start-up  phase  of  the  implementation,  will  steer  and  report  on  progress,  and  will  update  the 
SIP. In order to monitor progress, the work of the HLSG will also involve developing impact 
targets to be achieved by the EIP. 

The  linkage  between  the  strategic  level  and  the  operational  level  will  be  provided  by  the 
Sherpa  Group  made  up  by  personal  representatives  of  the  HLSG.  Its  main  task  will  be  to 
ensure  a  smooth  running  of  the  partnership  including  planning  of  major  actions,  overall 
coordination  of  work  packages  and  preparation  of  the  meetings  and  follow-up  of  the  High 
Level Steering Group. 

Operational groups will be set up according to specific topics in order to provide advice to 
the HLSG and to convert the strategic implementation plan into tasks and actions. They will 
operate on the basis of flexible structures, a temporary time horizon and in close interaction 
with each other, where needed. In order to ensure that the EIP can benefit fully from existing 
excellence within the EU, operational groups should aim to have the widest possible coverage 

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SEC(2011) 1028 final  

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(geographical coverage of 27 Member States and from different areas of required expertise), 
following a transparent nomination procedure. Meetings will be organised in such a way as to 
maximise the contributions provided by experts. 

3.5. 

Outreach 

To  maximise  a  transparent,  circular  flow  of  information  and  accountability  throughout  the 
lifetime of the EIP, it will be essential to interact with both the political level as well as with 
society at large (see also annexes 4 and 5). This will be achieved in two ways. At the political 
level, the Commission intends to report on an annual basis to the Council and EP. At societal 
level,  the  EIP  will  seek  the  participation  of  a  wide  audience  through  the  organisation  of  a 
yearly public event. Thus it will meet a major objective of the Innovation Partnerships, which 
is to ensure the broadest level of societal engagement. 

3.6. 

Timeline 

The Commission welcomes the further views of the European Parliament and Council, as well 
as wider stakeholders, on this European Innovation Partnership. Subject to the views received, 
the following milestones are envisaged (details in section 6 in annex): 

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• 

From mid-2012: Nomination of HLSG, Sherpa group and operational groups by EC; 

Early  2013:  Strategic  Implementation  Plan  finalised  by  HLSG,  and  which  will  be 
presented by the Commission to the EP and Council (first semester of 2013); 

From mid-2013: implementation started and first annual conference held; 

State of progress assessment (including the governance structure): late 2014 (to take 
into  account  the  new  2014-2020  Multiannual  Financial  Framework  and  the  new 
Commission that will be in place). 

To underpin the work of this EIP, a number of preparatory actions and studies have already 
been initiated in 2011. The first deliverables will be completed during 2012 and 2013, so that 
the EIP can show concrete progress at an early stage. The Commission will organise a review 
of EIPs during 2013 to take stock of progress. 

EN 

9 

   EN