Announced for 2009 it will only come no doubt not in service by 2010In this case the trend is rather bearish Suddenly it became like other employeesClimatologists from around the world were meeting in Paris next FebruaryThe end of the year is difficult for Richard FuldThis last block refute this interpretationSince a few months the deal however is changingThe problem is that in this case is matter of dosageIt should be so for the sharing of profits000 sales of Mini III as early as 2007 iThe Lisbon agenda dead and buried It is a very plausible scenario if the twenty-five are not, very quickly, more efforts to research, must notify, tomorrow, the European Commission. According to our information, the annual report on growth and employment for 2007 contains alarming projections: the objective that is were the Member States, in 2002 in Barcelona, to devote at least 3 of Community GDP to research and development (R & D) shall not be required. The EU-15 will reach, at best, the threshold of the 2.6. As well say that the ambition displayed in Lisbon in 2000 of making Europe "the economy the most dynamic in the world by 2010 and the most competitive knowledge-based", now appears out of reach.
As the ratio of 2.6 of GDP will be obtained if the capitals keep to the letter all their commitments. For example, this assumes that the France meet, after the presidential election, his act, programming research, take the promises of the poles of competitiveness and the bestiary of measures put in place for months to boost innovation in the private sector. A hypothesis in addition to 14 others, without even taking into account the new 10 incoming countries, which joined the Union in 2004. At present, only a handful of Member States, including the Finland and the Sweden have exceeded 3.
Alarming situation
In this context, Jorma Ollila, Chairman of the European Round Table of Industrialists, the most powerful business lobby in Brussels, must meet today with José Manuel Barroso. It must provide its full support to Member States that it considers too cowardly to the President of the Commission. The two men should discuss the best way to stimulate the twenty-five.
Because happen, Europe likely to distance very quickly, and not only by its two traditional competitors, the United States and the Japan.
The Commission has calculated that at its current pace, China exceed as early as 2010, the rate of European investment. Beijing spends time than 1.6 of GDP in R & D, compared to 1.9 for Europe. But the OECD revealed last week that China now displays the second research budget in the world, in absolute value, before the Japan.
The risk seems real to a stall of the innovation capacity of the European economy, coupled with a decline in its scientific influence. The reasons in are well known experts in the R & D, less political and economic decision-makers. Contrary wisdom, this is not the reluctance of States to invest in long term issue. The European weakness does not in the public financial effort, which supports the comparison with the other major economic blocs, even if it is too fragmented communitised research expenditures represent only 5 of the total European R & D spending.
The real Achilles heel of Europe lies mainly at the level of private investment. If the Continent still held rank in traditional industries such as automotive, there are too few companies in sectors with a high technological content. The Microsoft or European Amgen has yet. In addition, European companies are too remote from academic research, their American competitors. A through which the Commission would like to address by creating an Institute of technology, rival of MIT in Boston.
Finally, the weight of the defence is too low in Europe. In the United States, 56 of the overall expenditure in R & D come from the area of weapons, against only 14 per cent in Europe. Brussels would like to create a European defence market, but faces reflexes sovereign States ("Les Echos" of December 7).
