Investment in research is only way to retain Europe's social model, says Schüssel
Austrian Chancellor and current President of the European Council, Wolfgang Schüssel, has declared himself 'very satisfied' with the first round of talks at the Spring Council, and emphasised the importance of investing in research. Mr Schüssel revealed that the debate on research and technological development had been opened by a keynote speech by the Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen. Research is taking a central stage at the meeting, and the Chancellor explained why: 'One thing is clear: we will be able to maintain our European social model only if we invest more in research, technology development and education.' Initial rounds of talks have also addressed employment initiatives, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and energy policy, on which, respectively, the Portuguese Prime Minister José Sócrates, the Slovene Prime Minister Janez Jansa, and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke. 'Energy is a new theme. The debate ranged from network security and prices to supply sources, with a clear focus on renewables,' said Mr Schüssel. He added that biomass is a priority.
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Austria