EESC opinion: Concerted action to improve the career and mobility of researchers in the EU

Key points

Given the revision of the Lisbon Strategy, the launch of a new European plan for innovation and the European Research Area renewed vision for 2020, and against the backdrop of the economic crisis, there is a pressing need to set common objectives at the EU level and encourage measures aimed at securing the level of human resources in science and technology.

The EESC recommends:

• that human resources in science and technology in Europe are boosted and mobility promoted, as these are key factors to ensure that the EU remains competitive globally;

• that coordination between policies on education, research, labour and social security is rapidly improved;

• that existing programmes in the field of human resources be strengthened and better coordinated and that mobility be promoted;

• that a monitoring centre for human resources in science and technology in Europe be set up, to gather, analyse and provide consistent and comparable information on national human resources policies both in Europe and worldwide;

• that concerted action to improve the career and mobility of researchers in the EU be taken, in terms of working conditions, career development and social rights;
• that the new European Innovation Pact and the future revision of the Lisbon Strategy take due account of the need to increase human resources in the field of science and technology and ensure that they are properly qualified.