Research infrastructures, synergies, and digital education are key priorities. The Commission’s new foresight report focuses on the green & digital transitions.
On 1 July 2022, the Czech Republic took over the Presidency of the Council of the EU, following after France. Sweden will conclude the current Presidency trio during the first half of 2023. The Czech Presidency’s programme is strongly influenced by the geopolitical changes due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It aligns with new initiatives of the European Commission (EC) and the Member States since March 2022 and further refines them (see SwissCore article). The programme includes the following key topics: managing the refugee crisis and preparing the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, achieving energy security, strengthening European defence capabilities and cybersecurity, improving the European economy’s strategic resilience, and securing the resilience of democratic institutions. These overarching priorities will also influence research, innovation, and education, as for instance in the case of the Chips Act proposal. The latter comprises an amendment to the Single Basic Act of 2021 to transform the current Key Digital Technologies Joint Undertaking (JU) under Horizon Europe into the Chips JU (see SwissCore article). Another example includes the REPowerEU plan that will influence Horizon Europe Work Programmes and the upcoming strategic planning for 2025-2027 (see SwissCore article).
In the second half of 2022, research ministers will focus on research infrastructures, synergies in R&I funding, widening, and innovation. The Czech Presidency views research infrastructures “as a central component of the European research and innovation ecosystem and part of the Union’s critical infrastructure”. A main topic of the Presidency will include the discussion of the role of research infrastructures in the implementation of the European Open Science Policy and open access to scientific facilities, data and research results. Furthermore, research ministers will discuss the role of research infrastructures as a tool for improving the preparedness and resilience of European society to socio-economic crises. The Presidency will prioritise the adoption of Council conclusions calling on Member States to prioritise investment in research infrastructures as part of their public spending. In the case of the synergies in research and innovation, it is foreseen that research ministers will focus on synergistic and cumulative funding of projects from EU, national, regional, and private sources. The Czech Presidency will prepare Council conclusions on synergies, reflecting the European Court of Auditors’ upcoming report, which will focus on the implementation of synergies between Horizon 2020 and other instruments, including the European Structural and Investment Funds. On synergies in research and innovation funding, the Presidency already organised a conference in Prague on 7-8 July to exchange good practices and discuss possible hurdles to using the full potential of synergies. The Czech presidency will prepare a ‘Prague Declaration’ on synergies in research and innovation funding in Europe, addressing possible barriers to synergies (see SwissCore article). The Presidency will also table Council conclusions on widening participation in the European framework programme for research and innovation, after the European Court of Auditors published a special report in June 2022 that focuses on the measures to widen participation in Horizon 2020. The report finds that the instruments to widen participation were well designed but sustainable change will depend for the most part on investments and reforms at the national level. The Czech Presidency plans to support the discussion on innovation, following the EC Communication ‘A New European Innovation Agenda’ on 5 July 2022 (see SwissCore article), which focuses on access to finance, support for business growth, framework conditions, better connecting European innovation ecosystems, and reducing the innovation gap across the EU.
In the area of education, the Czech Presidency plans to focus on well-being in digital education and on the Council Recommendation on Pathways to School Success. The Presidency intends to open a discussion on “setting the conditions in digital education to promote its positive aspects and to make it safe, effective and sensitive to the needs of students” and to prepare Council conclusions on this topic, in synergy with other Council recommendations in the area of digital learning scheduled for publication in autumn 2022. The EC proposal for a Council recommendation on Pathways to School Success was already published on 30 June 2022 and focuses on basic skills, on increasing the number of young people completing secondary education and on reducing early school leaving, which are important topics for the further development of the European Education Area. It is foreseen that the Council recommendation will be discussed and adopted during the Czech Presidency.
The European Year of Youth 2022 will come to its conclusion during the second half of 2022. The Presidency will support the activities by organising a conference on the legacy of the European Year of Youth in December 2022, together with the EC and the European Parliament. In addition, the topic of intergenerational solidarity and equity in youth policies and youth work will be at the centre of the Czech priorities in the area of youth. “The intention is also to improve intergenerational dialogue and solidarity in response to the pandemic, Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and other socio-economic challenges.” The Presidency plans Council conclusions on these topics.
Just before the start of the Czech Presidency, the European Commission published its 2022 Strategic Foresight Report. This year’s edition of the annual foresight report focuses on ‘twinning the green and digital transitions in the new geopolitical context’ and explores the complex interlinkages of the transitions. The EC underlines that “on one hand, digital technologies help the EU achieve climate neutrality, reduce pollution and restore biodiversity. On the other hand, their widespread use is increasing energy consumption, while also leading to more electronic waste and bigger environmental footprint”. However, the report nevertheless concludes that technology will be essential for the two transitions. New and existing technologies will be necessary to reduce carbon emissions for all of the five biggest greenhouse gas emitters in the EU: Energy, transport, industry, construction, and agriculture. The Commission finds that by 2030, most reductions in carbon emissions will be possible by using technologies available today. At the same time, the EC finds that “achieving climate neutrality and circularity by 2050 will be enabled by new technologies currently at the experimental, demonstration or prototype phase”, making the case for continued investments in research and innovation.
Last but not least, on 1 July, the EC published a Call for evidence, asking the research and innovation community for input until 29 July to define the scope of the upcoming evaluation of Horizon 2020 and the mid-term evaluation of Horizon Europe. The evaluations will play an important role for Horizon Europe’s strategic plan 2025-2027 – as well as for the preparation of the 10th European framework programme in research and innovation.