Date: 2013-10-08
Mr President, first of all let me thank all those speakers because we have had a lot of speakers, it has been a very lively debate and I think we owe a debt of gratitude to Mrs Sartori and Mr Berlinguer for organising the debate. I think generally there has been a great convergence on the objectives of ERA, and there is a feeling of impatience at the lack of progress and a great sense of urgency about what needs to be done. Next year, obviously, we are going to have this major reflection that I talked about, so in other words it is crunch time for ERA next year and as I said at the beginning and I repeat again nothing is off the table, everything is on the table. Remember that whatever we decide to do, the European Parliament is going to be a very important partner with us in going forward. I was asked a number of specific questions. About the EIT: this of course is the knowledge triangle so fundamentally important to all we are trying to do. The JRC, giving scientific advice to all of our policy, must be based on the best, most excellent scientific advice that is available and that advice is given right across the Commission in all the different directorates-general. I was also asked about synergies with the structural funds. Johannes Hahn and I have worked really closely to ensure that we have this synergy and you know, Mr van Nistelrooij, that for the first time ever in Horizon 2020 you can match structural funds with Horizon 2020 funds in the same project, for different aspects of it, but in the same project. I think that is a really great step forward. Another question was: is it the intention of the Commission to standardise European research systems? Nothing could be further from the truth. Of course we are not in the business of doing this, but we would like them to align their rules so that we can have this great interaction that we want to see happening in a genuine European Research Area. The difference in salaries and the brain drains occupied the minds of the Council of Ministers when we met last November in Luxembourg. One of the aspects that we worked out at the time was that we would have a specific package of proposals that would help to counteract this innovation divide, this difficulty that particularly newer Member States and indeed regions within Europe have. So we have this whole package of ERA chairs, of the teaming, of the twinning actions, of the bonus in salaries of up to EUR 8 000 all designed to help combat the brain drain. Obviously, we will look at that when we have the interim evaluation to see how well that is working. I believe that it is going to work really well. To the Council I would say: obviously we in the Commission, but also as you have heard, Mr President all of the Members here, are looking to the Council at the end of this month to give us the kind of strong conclusions that will drive us forward. I would say that President Grybauskaitė, who has long experience in the Commission, will understand the kind of impetus that a strong conclusion from the European Council can give both the Commission and indeed the European Parliament. I am delighted that Mrs Sartori and Mr Berlinguer will bring forward an ERA manifesto which will be, as they describe, a concrete roadmap for ERA policy and I look forward very much to joining them on 16 October 2013 for the launch of the manifesto.