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EU: Competitiveness Council

My right honourable friend the Minister for Science and Innovation (Ian Pearson) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement. I am pleased to confirm the agenda items for which DIUS is responsible, at the forthcoming EU Competitiveness Council on 23 November in Brussels. The council will be chaired by Mr Gago, Portuguese Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education. I will be attending. There are seven substantive agenda items: political agreement on compromise text on a proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and the council establishing the European Institute of Technology (EIT), before the European Parliament Second Reading; a possible general approach on council regulations establishing joint undertakings to implement joint technology initiatives (JTIS) for innovative medicines (IMI); aeronautics and air transport (Clean Sky); embedded computing systems (ARTEMIS) and nanoelectronics (ENIAC), with the view to move to agreement on these regulations later in the year. The UK supports the objectives of these JTIs which we see as important for engaging UK businesses in European research and would like to see them launched by the end of this year; a possible general approach on a proposal for a European Parliament and council decision on the ambient assisted living initiative. The UK is supportive of the general aims of AAL and the Technology Strategy Board is intending to participate in the initiative; possible adoption of council conclusions on the future of science and technology in Europe; possible adoption of council conclusions on scientific information in the digital age: access, dissemination and preservation. The UK supports the conclusions subject to securing satisfactory text on pricing; possible adoption of a council resolution on modernising universities for Europe's competitiveness in a global knowledge economy; and possible adoption of draft council conclusions on the implementation of the nanosciences and nanotechnologies action plan for Europe. The UK supports the conclusions. There will be two further items taken under any other business: proposal for a European Parliament and council decision for a joint national research programme (Article 169 of the Treaty Initiative) on research performing SMEs (EuroSTARS) (information from the presidency and the Commission on the state of play); and proposal for a council regulation setting up the fuel cells and hydrogen joint undertaking (presentation by the Commission).