UNICE declares support for Busquin's three per cent R&D spending target
The Union of industrial and employers' confederations of Europe, UNICE, has supported Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin's call for an increase in research expenditure in the Member States, and a focus on the Euro-Mediterranean business dialogue. In a meeting with Commissioner Busquin on 23 May, representatives from UNICE confirmed the support of EU industry for increasing research and development (R&D) spending in order to boost innovation and competitiveness. It was agreed at the Barcelona Council to increase European R&D spending 'so as to approach three per cent of GDP' by 2010. UNICE emphasised to Commissioner Busquin however the role public authorities must play in making the conditions for R&D investment more attractive. This position will also be adopted in a communication to be presented by Mr Busquin within the next few months. Areas which need to be addressed in order to make Europe more attractive for investors will be outlined in the communication. They will include improved interaction between industry, government and academia within the European research area (ERA), public support initiatives for business R&D investment and issues facing European companies such as availability and quality of human resources, financial and fiscal conditions, intellectual property systems and regulatory barriers. Whilst private companies fund more than 66 per cent of R&D carried out in the USA, the corresponding figure for the EU is around 55 per cent. For this reason the EU's Heads of State and Government agreed at Barcelona to encourage enterprises to increase their share of research funding as well as setting the three per cent of GDP target. UNICE was also present in a delegation of members from the Euro-Mediterranean business community which had a meeting with Commission President Romano Prodi and Commissioner for Enterprise and Information Society Erkki Liikanen, also on 23 May. The newly created Union of Mediterranean confederations of enterprises (UMCE) was presented at the meeting. This new organisation will promote the interests of the companies for the 12 Mediterranean partner countries and reiterate their common commitment for the success of the Barcelona process. UNICE and UMCE used the meeting to call on the Commission to give more consideration to economic operators' needs when defining and implementing the Euro-Mediterranean partnership's strategies and economic programmes. The confederations also asked for a renewed political commitment to the creation of a Euro-Mediterranean free trade area by 2010 and support for the promotion of south-south trade so as to facilitate economic integration in the area.