The Lisbon European Council of March 2000 set the objective of making Europe the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world by next year.
By strongly and firmly placing competitiveness at the heart of the European political agenda, the reinvigorated Lisbon process aimed at making Europe a more attractive place to invest, by boosting the entrepreneurial initiative and creating a productive environment where innovation capacity can grow and develop. In order to fully meet the Lisbon goals, a particular attention has been given to ensuring coherence and synergy among all actions implemented at the EC level in the field of innovation and competitiveness.
Following the recommendations of the 2003 Spring Council, the European Commission has decided to put forward a proposal for the implementation of a Competitiveness and Innovation framework Programme (CIP) which is meant to become the main legal basis grouping all Community actions in the field of innovation and competitiveness.
In 2005, the European Commission adopted the proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and the Council on establishing a Competitiveness and Innovation framework Programme (CIP) for the period 2007-2013. The framework programme provides a coherent framework for all community actions implemented in the field of entrepreneurship, SMEs, industrial competitiveness, innovation, ICT development and use, environmental technologies and intelligent energy.
With a foreseen budget for the CIP of e4.21 billion, one can really appreciate the importance that the EU is giving to innovation. And it hasn’t stopped there. The EU officially launched a year of activities marking innovation and creativity during a ceremony in Prague presided over by commission president Jose Manuel Barroso and Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek
At the press conference, the ambassadors for the year presented a report on creativity and innovation in the European Union. It was rewarding to see our Maltese co-national lateral thinking, Prof. Edward de Bono as one of these ambassadors. Their message was basically that investment in education and in the skills and creative capacity of Europe should be the top priority of EU institutions and governments.
As is expected at this point in time, the speakers started off by mentioning the dimension of the economic crisis. Many speakers at the conference stressed that boosting creativity and innovation was part of the solution to the current crisis.
The European year of innovation and creativity aims to raise awareness of the importance of creativity and innovation as the key competences for personal, social and economic development.
The EU will offer a framework for raising awareness of the issues concerned and promoting a policy debate on how to increase Europe’s creative and innovative potential. The activities will include promotional campaigns, events and initiatives at European, national, regional and local events.
And as the continent continues to be transformed by the expansion of the European Union and rising competition from China and India, it is harnessing its longstanding tradition of creativity to sharpen its economic edge.
The resulting flowering of fresh ideas isn’t limited to technology and the hard sciences. To be sure, countries such as Israel and Denmark are pushing the envelope in pharmaceuticals, France is overflowing with Web startups, and even tiny Estonia — with its policies promoting universal access to the internet — has cultivated a booming information economy that bred Web phone-calling phenomenon Skype. But don’t leave out Spain, whose chefs have revolutionised contemporary cuisine; Italy, which continues to pioneer apparel and furniture design; or the financial innovations of Britain and Switzerland. Malta too has achieved a great deal in terms of innovation in the recent years. This is especially true in the financial and ICT sectors. With continued investment, we are sure to see these areas continue to expand, fuelled by innovation and creativity.
The death of a friend, co-worker and a father figure
I would like to make a small side note. On Friday, a dear friend and co-worker Joe Tonna passed away.
To Joe’s family I extend my deepest condolences. This was a great loss for his family, myself and other co-workers at our office. I worked with Joe for many years with Prof Guido de Marco, and later he was my personal secretary when I was elected as MEP. Joe was a remarkable person, a true gentleman, and to me not just a lifelong friend, but also a father figure.
I know I will find it difficult when I look over to your desk a few feet away from mine. I know that this article would have been your first read today, but I also know that although you’re not reading it on your desk, you are following us from up above.
David Casa is a Nationalist MEP
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www.davidcasa.eu