Beautiful cultural evenings in perspectiveYounger he was often accompanied Emile ZolaIt is a much larger signal of social justiceWith unemployment is any social temperature rising There is a real excitement about the testPoetry lyricism spectacular images humorI does not have a single English furniture6 of market share in Europe compared to 22The unsuccessful will be many including in the ranks of the French banks to increase the profitability of their investmentsIn a context of permanently expensive energy, Europe will continue to ensure its citizens to the attractive living conditions if businesses attract consumers through innovative services and products. But the countries of the Continent are delayed. Japan, for example, more than twice its resources to research and development that Europe spends. The United States, 60 more. Several emerging countries also increase their scientific and technological capabilities at a rapid pace. In 2000, gathered in Lisbon, EU leaders had already become aware of the issue and set a voluntary goal. However, despite the declarations of intent, European investment in R & D intensity has stagnated as a percentage of GDP and the consequences are already felt. Over the period 2001-2006, the productivity of European workers has increased by 1.3 annually, while American workers rose by 2.2. The maintenance of such a departure would be in twenty years to the American standard of living of 20 growth than ours. It would mean a decline in Europe in the global economy, all the more marked that emerging countries will continue to move forward.
A burst has become urgent. It is more general targets, but declined a strategy to lead to concrete results. First, a massive investment of the European Union in the public research is essential. There is no point to ask the national authorities and businesses to invest, if the Union does not shown in the example. It must operate a transfer of its budgets for research, innovation and higher education, so that they are 30 of its annual expenditures on horizon 2020.
European area of research should in particular serve as a framework for research of a large scale to meet global challenges (environment, energy, food security...), funded not only specific, insufficient research budgets, but also on the corresponding thematic budgets. Thus, one can imagine that a program on food security could benefit from a contribution from the common agricultural policy. To ensure that these public funds are used in an optimal manner, it is imperative that their terms and conditions of award are also magazines. Academic excellence, the relevance of the research projects must become the only criteria of choice. The European spatial planning is an essential objective for the Union, but the current geographical research support dusting is counterproductive if is to be born and flourish of high level teams able to wear the colours of the Union in international scientific competition.
Support for innovation also through assistance to new firms, because what are they, for the most part, innovations and the creation of new activities. In the United States, a study shows that half of the R & D effort is performed by companies that did not exist twenty-five years ago. Major European companies in place, even if they adapt to new markets, do not have the same reactivity. They are little positioned on markets for new technologies of information and are insufficiently involved in emerging areas of biotechnology and nanotechnology. The launch of a "New Business Act" would be a strong gesture to support young companies. It would guarantee them a certain portion of Government appropriations and a certain percentage of the public markets of each country. The selected firms would be those who know, better than the others, demonstrate the relevance of innovation and their ability to produce by proposing a management of the risk.
The creation of a Community patent at reasonable cost would be also useful to these young shoots. In the United States and the Japan, small businesses are entitled to 50 reduction to protect their inventions. Such discounts for patents could be introduced on the Continent for recent business. The establishment of a platform of European technological exchanges would also allow them to easier access to complementary innovations developed by universities or other companies. An OECD study shows that only 20 of European companies with patents grant licences and that number could double if they get easier to find partners to take advantage of their inventions! As a result of the Lisbon agenda, Europe embarked on structural reforms. But this work must continue and intensify. The French Presidency of the European Union may still be the one that will permanently put the Europe of knowledge on good track. But it must do so quickly.
