|
The Finnish presidency of the European Union has demonstrated its commitment to fostering innovation by setting deadlines for the policy actions discussed at the recent Heads of State meeting held in Lahti, Finland.
These deadlines are contained in a communication from the European Commission to the Council and Parliament, which sets out draft conclusions for 'Strategic priorities for innovation action at EU level, elaborated by the Presidency'.
The document builds on the conclusions of the recent Aho report, Creating an Innovative Europe, which called for a broad innovation strategy, the consensus developed at the Lahti summit, and the Commission's report on putting knowledge into practice. It says European policy should help create demand for innovation and make it easier to fund. Europe should ensure its regulations support innovation, and support the institutions that make it happen. Innovation policy should consider all forms of innovation, including those that are not based on technology.
The document also calls for policy changes that will enable state aid to be targeted more effectively at innovation, and for appropriate tax breaks. A common strategy should be supported by better co-ordination, national policies on education, research and entrepreneurship, and strong engagement in FP7.
The timetable sets out dates by which certain policy actions should be completed, as follows:
December 2006 - Commission to deliver guidance on how EU rules on commercial and pre-commercial procurement can stimulate innovation. By October 2007, the Council will have discussed the Commission's response and decided what to do next.
Early 2007 - Commission to present proposals that would enable the Community to negotiate on the European Patent Litigation Agreement.
June - Commission to finish its assessment of how copyright levies affect the development of innovative products and services, and to offer proposals for improvement that the Council will discuss by early 2008, at the latest.
July - the Council will respond to proposals to help create a single Europe-wide patent jurisdiction system, as well as revisiting the issue of Community patent.
During 2007 - Commission to present a comprehensive intellectual property rights (IPR) strategy, addressing the structure of the IPR system, awareness, the balance between users and right holders, and challenges such as new technology and business models in the service sector. Council to discuss the issue by early 2008, at the latest.
February - Commission to propose the formation of the first Joint Technology Initiatives, on innovative medicines, aeronautics and embedded computing. Council to decide on the proposal by October. Proposals on areas such as hydrogen and fuel cells, nano-electronics, and global monitoring for environment and security, to follow as soon as possible.
April - Commission to prepare an analysis on how to promote co-operation between clusters across national borders by now. By November, the Council expects the Commission to report on how structural funds can be used to promote innovation. Council to respond by December.
April - Commission to assess how policy should be adjusted to support innovation in services. By June, the Council will discuss the assessment and decide what to do.
July - Commission to define how it would select lead markets, what key policy instruments and framework conditions need to be in place and the objectives for lead market development. By February 2008, the Council will conclude discussions on the initiative.
September - Commission to develop, with industry, proposals to reform the system and the impact of standards on research and new fields of technology. By October, the Council will decide what to do.
November - Commission to report on obstacles to cross-border investment by venture capital funds, which the Council will discuss by the end of the year.
By the end of 2007 - Commission to clarify the costs of establishing a European Institute of Technology. The Council will aim to conclude its discussions on the proposal by the end of 2007, so the Institute can open in January 2009.
doi:eiq-2006-009-0002
|
