Commissioner Busquin looks at ways of improving EU researcher mobility
At a conference in Crete on 6 October, Research Commissioner Busquin drew attention to the issue of EU researcher mobility, and suggested a number of approaches to improve the current conditions. Against the background of recent appeals for a change in researcher mobility policy, Mr Busquin stated that the improvement of research human resources in Europe is not simply a question of mobility, but of increasing the number of European researchers, and of allocating these resources according to need. Mr Busquin emphasised that the research community is more mobile than the rest of the population, but that more mobility is still needed to satisfy requirements. His recommendations for improving mobility include the creation of a practical, regulatory and psychological conditions for true mobility, the establishment of conditions for 'European careers', making European research institutions more attractive, and the strengthening of scientific education at all levels. Commissioner Busquin recommended the creation of a representative group, consisting of delegates from the Member States, who would carry out an analysis of the obstacles to mobility, and make practical proposals. He also called for a communication from the Commission on this theme at the beginning of 2001, and urged Member States to facilitate the improvement of human resources by offering a better bursary system, providing more advanced equipment, strengthening the 'women in science' agenda and encouraging more young people to study science. Despite the solid base of European research, and the internationally recognised status of European researchers, Europe still lag behind the United States and Japan in terms of numbers, where researchers total 7.4 and 8.9 per 1000 workers respectively, as opposed to 5.1 in the EU. Many of these will also retire within the next 10 years, and the number of students choosing to study science is also declining. Europe is also less attractive for qualified researchers than the United States, as illustrated by the fact that almost half of European researchers study for their doctorate in the USA and then remain in the country, either at university, or working in the private sector. Commissioner Busquin's comments come following the European Parliament's approval of the Commission's recommendation designed to facilitate the mobility of those in education. The Parliament expressed disappointment that researchers were not included in the recommendation, although the introduction of mobility grants for researchers in the next Framework Programme, due to commence in 2002, has recently been proposed by the Commission. Parliament urged the Commission to play an active role in promoting mutual recognition of qualifications and in disseminating information about mobility. Parliament's opinion, adopted on 4 October, also stressed the need to remove legal, administrative, language, cultural and financial barriers to mobility, and suggests specific measures to achieve this such as promoting the learning of at least two Community languages, encouraging linguistic and cultural preparation prior to any mobility scheme, promoting wider use of various means of financial assistance and fostering a European qualifications area, including a common European format for CVs.