Pact for Research and Innovation in Europe

EESC opinion: Pact for Research and Innovation in Europe

Key points

The EESC:

  • welcomes the fact that the Pact for Research and Innovation in Europe sets out commonly agreed values and principles for R&I and identifies, on a global, general level, the areas where Member States will jointly develop priority actions.
  • highlights that, in the future, Europe should make value creation, business and quality jobs out of Europe's R&D‑results. One very important tool for making business, profit and jobs for Europe out of Europe's R&D‑results is IPR (Intellectual Property Rights).
  • welcomes Pact's clear call to deepen the European Research Area (ERA), i.e. to move from coordinating national policies to deeper integration of these policies, and its call to accelerate the twin green and digital transitions.
  • feels that, in view of the massive investments in RTI in Asia (China, South Korea etc.), the EU has to substantially speed up its efforts in R&I, especially regarding the fast transformation of R&D results into innovative products and services, since Europe is lagging behind in this area
  • points out that, within the new Pact for R&I, Europe must prepare the soil for a more entrepreneurial culture such that risk-taking, innovative businesses are encouraged – MSMEs as well as start-ups.

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