The European Union’s internal market, an important cornerstone of the bloc, is essentially based on the so-called four freedoms – allowing freedom of movement for people (particularly workers), goods, services and capital. It is still not a picture-perfect situation but a lot has been achieved along the years and various systems are in place to help make this happen.

At a time when competitiveness is seen as the only major tool to tackle the challenge of globalisation, particularly for a developed region such as the European continent, the emphasis on research and scientific progress deserves much attention. The EU has for decades been suffering its own form of brain drain – with specialists moving to the United States for better conditions and opportunities.

An idea which has been brewing for quite some time is the creation of a fifth freedom – one which would afford more mobility for researchers in the EU. In turn, this would allow a wider spread for knowledge transfer and exploitation. The initiative falls within the revived Lisbon strategy, which lays emphasis on both jobs and economic growth.

The current scenario is not so favourable for researchers on the go. Social security systems, for example, are not always adaptable to the specific needs of researchers, particularly when calculating time spent abroad for pension purposes. Working conditions may be different, as can be the concepts of what constitutes a researcher. Research grants may be lost by moving to another member state, even though the new placement is important. Competition for recruitment also tends to involve non-transparent activity and could hamper mobility in the process.

The European Research Area (ERA) was initially agreed upon in 2000 and a number of initiatives have already been embarked upon to make this a reality – one common area of research where researchers can move and communicate without problems and where collective efforts result in world-class capabilities and networks of excellence. The situation on the ground is not so smooth – a Green Paper was published last year to gauge the views of stakeholders on the matter.

Last week the European Commission published a document calling for a partnership between member states and the EU’s administrative body that will make available the human capital required for a knowledge-based society. It reiterates the need for a single and open labour market for researchers, as well as making careers in this field more attractive, an issue which the ERA has for years been intending to bring about – making the research world appealing to the best talent.

Instead of brain drain, the Commission wants to enable “brain circulation”. If one had to take note of a considerable number of financial measures offered by the EU, cooperation between educational institutions, academia and the industry are favoured. Such constant transmission of knowledge across various sectors allows scientific inquiry to multiply.

Perhaps in the coming years, we could speak of five freedoms. It will be very much in line with the aims of creating a knowledge-driven European society. The matter lies in doing this effectively and efficiently, without causing any unforeseen harm.

Julian Micallef is Civil Society Coordinator at Forum Malta fl-Ewropa