Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

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| 31.1.2009 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 25/1 |

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Conclusions of the Council on the definition of a ‘2020 vision for the European research area’

(2009/C 25/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

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| 1. | RECALLS:   |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | its Resolution of 15 June 2000 establishing a European Research Area (ERA)[(1)](#ntr1-C_2009025EN.01000101-E0001) following the Presidency Conclusions of the European Council held on 23 and 24 March 2000 in Lisbon, where the European Union adopted the Lisbon Strategy with the goal of becoming the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | the Conclusions of the European Council of 22 and 23 March 2005, at which the Lisbon Strategy was renewed placing the main emphasis on knowledge, innovation and the optimisation of human capital, |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | the ‘Green Paper on the European Research Area: New Perspectives’ adopted by the Commission on 4 April 2007, which proposed a number of priority objectives with a view to deepening and widening the ERA so that it fully contributes to the renewed Lisbon Strategy, |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | the Conclusions of the European Council of 13 and 14 March 2008, which called for the creation of a ‘fifth freedom’ to remove barriers to the free movement of knowledge, |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | its Conclusions of 23 November 2007 on the Future of Science and Technology in Europe, which called for an increase in public and private research funding, as well as an increase in human resources for research, |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | its Conclusions of 30 May 2008 on the launch of the ‘Ljubljana Process — Towards full realisation of ERA’ aiming to establish an enhanced governance for the ERA, and which stressed in particular the need to develop a long-term vision for the ERA based on the objectives of the Lisbon Strategy, |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | the Commission communication of 26 November 2008 entitled ‘A European Economic Recovery Plan for growth and jobs’, which proposes in particular measures to support the knowledge-based economy, including measures for research-intensive SMEs which are at particular risk in the current financial crisis; | |

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| 2. | ENCOURAGES the Community and the Member States to further coordinate their research and technological development activities so as to ensure that national policies and Community policy are mutually consistent; |

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| 3. | REAFFIRMS the importance of strengthening scientific and technological bases across Europe and developing its competitiveness in pursuit of sustainable development including protection of the environment, and satisfying the needs of its citizens, by achieving a European Research Area (ERA) in which researchers, scientific knowledge and technology circulate freely; |

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| 4. | STRESSES that coordination and cooperation activities in the ERA are organised on a voluntary basis and that their implementation takes place in variable geometry in the spirit of close cooperation between the Community and the Member States with appropriate involvement of the countries associated with the Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development and with due respect for the principle of subsidiarity; |

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| 5. | RECALLS that in addition to the Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development there is a variety of other important initiatives at European level, such as EUREKA and COST, that continue to be essential to the creation of a true spirit of cooperation. Moreover, there are a variety of top-level scientific institutions in Europe, including intergovernmental scientific organisations and laboratories[(2)](#ntr2-C_2009025EN.01000101-E0002), which contribute to the worldwide recognition of European research; |

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| 6. | RECALLS that the Community patent would constitute an important part of the operational IPR framework which the EU is gradually putting in place, and that the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) together with its forthcoming Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) should be instrumental in bringing closer together research, innovation and education across Europe; |

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| 7. | REAFFIRMS that the ERA constitutes a core element of the Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs and STRESSES the necessity to ensure that the ERA is fully operational and fully contributes to the ‘knowledge triangle’ of research, innovation and education driving the international competitiveness and sustainable development of Europe and underpinning its ambitions to become a leading knowledge-based economy and society; |

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| 8. | in that context, CONSIDERS that the increasing world-wide competition in research and the emergence of global societal challenges call for accelerating the full realisation of the ERA, including its external dimension; |

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| 9. | ENDORSES the attached ‘2020 Vision for the ERA’, which was developed in partnership by the Member States and the Commission in the context of the first phase of the ‘Ljubljana Process’; |

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| 10. | INVITES Member States and the Commission to communicate this common vision widely to stakeholders and society at large, to quickly focus policies and actions to make it a reality, and, subsequently, to discuss, update and deepen it as part of the ‘Ljubljana Process’; |

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| 11. | INVITES Member States and the Commission to take this vision into consideration in their reflections on the Lisbon Strategy post-2010; |

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| 12. | INVITES future Presidencies to take this vision and its potential evolution into consideration in the development of their proposals for the future governance of the ERA and STRESSES the need to use the full potential of existing coordination structures such as CREST in dealing with ERA initiatives; |

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| 13. | INVITES the Commission to propose by the end of 2009 a limited number of monitoring indicators and evaluation criteria to measure the progress made in achieving the ‘2020 Vision for the ERA’. |

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