Programme of the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council

created on 28 Jun 2010

On 1 July 2010 Belgium will take over the Presidency of the European Union until the end of 2010.

The research, development and innovation part of the Presidency programme will be highlighted as priorities during the second half of 2010 within the context of the Europe 2020 Strategy through the "Innovation Union" flagship initiative. In compliance with Conclusions adopted by the European Council in March 2010, the Council must make a contribution on this subject in preparation for the European Council in December. The Belgian Presidency will focus on formulating guidelines, defining policy objectives and developing indicators which allow progress on the creation of a European Research Area (ERA) to be measured. On the basis of the Commission communication concerning the plan for research and innovation, the Belgian Presidency will favour an integrated approach covering multiple facets of innovation – technological, non-technological, and social – which promote its distribution throughout the economic fabric and which respond to the current challenges and the needs of businesses, particularly SMEs.

In the context of the knowledge triangle, the role of clusters and the relationship between research centres, training and business will be examined. In light of the development of the 8th Framework Programme, under the Belgian Presidency, the Council will conduct work relating to the simplification of administrative procedures and financial controls from the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Development.

Throughout the Belgian Presidency, particular attention will be given to the development of the following three initiatives relating to free circulation of
knowledge within the European Research Area:

• definition of framework conditions for the Joint Programming Initiative, with social challenges as the priority;
• continuation of the execution of the European partnership for  researchers, in particular to increase their mobility and improve their status;
• promotion of improved integration in universities and research institutes within the knowledge triangle.

Under the Belgian Presidency, the Council will work to develop the role of the regions in the development, implementation and monitoring of research and
European Scientific Policy. Under the Belgian Presidency, the Council will examine the contribution of R&D to a sustainable society through strategic bio-economy initiatives, the plan for the development of low carbon technologies, (SET Plan) and marine and maritime research.The Council will continue the discussion on the ITER project and examine the possibility of extending the 7th Euratom Framework Programme (scheduled to end in 2011) so that it comes to an end at the same time as the 7th Research Framework Programme, which is due to end in 2013.

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