Commission to propose targets for entrepreneurship, innovation and research
At November's Competitiveness Council, the Commission will table a paper on achieving measurable objectives in entrepreneurship, innovation, research and access to information and communications technologies (ICT), EU Commissioner for Enterprise and Information Society Erkki Liikanen has announced. Addressing an informal meeting of the Competitiveness Council, Mr Liikanen said that a few Member States have yet to set their targets, but that others have tabled one or two. 'This is a good beginning,' he said. 'Two and a half years after Lisbon, we have understood that Europe itself holds the key; that the best are often among ourselves and that we can learn from each other,' said the Commissioner. He added that the creation of a Competitiveness Council 'promises a stronger voice advocating the competitiveness of European enterprises. It is good for morale. And in times like these, that counts,' he said. Mr Liikanen called for the development of a competitiveness strategy at a more general level. The framework conditions which make up the business environment in Europe should be improved by removing barriers to entrepreneurship and innovation, and by reducing regulatory burdens and the remaining obstacles to the internal market, said Mr Liikanen. The Commissioner finished by announcing the imminent publication of communications on industrial policy and innovation and a Green Paper on entrepreneurship.