The French EU Presidency plans to move the green and digital transitions forward – education, research, and innovation play a crucial role in these efforts.
After the previous trio Presidency of the EU (Germany, Portugal and Slovenia) focused on adopting the 2021-2027 generation of programmes and the respective budget, the new trio of France, the Czech Republic and Sweden turns its attention to advancing the European Green Deal and the EU’s digital decade agenda. This focus is well-aligned with the European Commission’s (EC) Work Programme. In July 2021, the EC adopted the Fit for 55 package, a set of legislative proposals to revise the entire EU 2030 climate and energy framework. Its goal is to enable the EU to reach the updated 2030 emissions reduction target of net 55% compared to 1990 levels. Similarly, in the digital field, Council and European Parliament (EP) are already working on the Digital Services Act (DSA), which will create a legal framework for content moderation by digital platforms and increased obligations for online marketplaces, as well as the Digital Markets Act (DMA) to give the EU a regulation instrument for gatekeepers to ensure that digital markets are competitive and fair.
On 19 January 2022, in his address to the EP, French President Emmanuel Macron laid out the goals of France’s EU Presidency. He condensed the idea of European integration down to three promises: Democracy, progress shared by all, and a promise of peace. Macron highlighted the superiority of liberal democracy and its values, including academic freedom, in tackling the ongoing pandemic: “The management of the pandemic by democracy, with parliamentary debate, with a free press, with free and open academic and research systems, has led to decisions that are much more protective of lives and economies than those of authoritarian regimes.” But it is the objective of ‘progress shared by all’ that is at the heart of the education, research, and innovation topics on France’s agenda for the first half of 2022. Macron sees many challenges ahead: “Growing inequalities, de-industrialisation, new challenges, particularly climate and digital challenges, have cast doubt over our continent.” He made the case to move to action, transforming EU industries and investing in technologies of the future. To reach these goals, set out in one of the three ambitions of the Presidency programme – ‘A new European model for growth’ Europe should become “a land of production, job creation, innovation and technological excellence”. This new model would be aligned with climate goals and support the growth of European digital players, offer “high-quality, high‑skilled and better-paying jobs” while ensuring a “more sovereign Europe”. The renewed focus on the green and digital EU priorities aims to create both a regulatory level playing field that gives EU actors breeding room for innovation as well as initiatives and investments to make this progress happen. Macron announced his commitment to work with the EP on the DSA and the DMA, promising that “the coming months can see the emergence of a European digital model which both organises fair competition between actors and fights the tendencies platforms have to kill innovation, all while protecting citizens.” The Presidency programme also announces the beginning of work on the proposal for a European Chips Act once it is published by the EC. Similarly, in the case of the European Green Deal, France promises a push to establish a carbon border adjustment mechanism that would shield the nascent green industry in the EU from cheaper, carbon-based imports.
To further support new technologies for the green and digital transitions, the French Presidency programme plans “to initiate and fast track tangible industrial cooperation facilitated by the Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEIs) instrument with a view to structuring value chains, key sectors and technologies for health, hydrogen, electronics and cloud computing at European level” (see SwissCore article). Macron is hopeful that a digital single market together with investments will enable the creation of European digital champions. The French programme also includes a focus on Missions and European Partnerships under Horizon Europe. The new Presidency plans to supervise coordination at European, national and local levels for the success of the new instrument of Missions. To support this work, a ministerial conference on citizen participation in Missions will be organised on 21 March and Council conclusions on Missions will be tabled. Much as research and innovation, the education sector will also play an important role as enabler for the green and digital transitions by providing the EU labour market with the necessary skills. The Presidency plans to adopt a recommendation on education for environmental sustainability (see SwissCore article). The proposal for the latter was published by the EC on 14 January.
France also plans – together with the EC – to further develop key EU education, research and innovation policies. January already saw the start of these efforts with the adoption of the new European Strategy for Universities by the EC on 18 January (see SwissCore article). It was followed by two further high-profile events: the informal Council of EU higher education and research ministers that took place on 24 and 25 January, and reiterated the need for transformation in the higher education sector to cope with existing and future challenges (such as the green and digital transitions) and the ‘Universities for the Future of Europe Forum’ from 25 to 26 January. It is becoming clear that the European Universities Initiative will play an important role in the new strategy. From 2022, countries that are part of the Bologna process, including Switzerland, are now also eligible to participate in European Universities alliances as associated partners.
The next important topic will come up on 8-9 March when France and the EC will gather EU ministers in Marseilles for the ‘Conference on International Cooperation for a Global Europe in the Field of Research, Higher Education and Innovation’. Ministers will discuss the role of higher education, research, and innovation in addressing global challenges, and guidelines for international partnerships in these areas. The French programme foresees the launch at this occasion of a ‘Marseille Call for a Global Europe in the Field of Research, Higher Education and Innovation’ that will include corresponding recommendations for a “balanced cooperation with non-EU countries”. It will underscore the need to uphold the EU’s values and interests, as well as the requirement for global standards, in particular for intellectual property. The Conference ‘Europe as a Leader in Disruptive Innovation’ on 11-13 May will be combined with the ‘Week of Innovative Regions in Europe’, traditionally hosted by the Presidency of the Council, which offers a showcase for national and regional best practices in innovation.
The French Presidency will also shape, together with the EC, the development of the European Research Area (ERA). After the governance and an ERA Policy Agenda 2022-2024 were adopted by Council in November (see SwissCore article), the European Research Area and Innovation Committee (ERAC) will discuss the Policy Agenda during its informal meeting on 11-13 April. Regarding ERA, France’s programme promises to continue encouraging synergies between higher education, research and innovation. The revamped European Universities Initiative will play an important role in these efforts as also foreseen in the new European Strategy for Universities. The French Presidency will also focus, together with their Czech trio partner, on further developing the European Year of Youth 2022 (see SwissCore article).
France’s Presidency programme and the new presidency trio’s programme both highlight the importance of international collaboration in general (beyond the education, research and innovation areas), including contributing “to the ongoing work evaluating the EU’s relationship with Switzerland”.