European Research Council - how independent should it be?[de] 

The Competitiveness Council of 28 November 2005 remained divided over the status of the European Research Council (ERC). The Commission has proposed setting up the ERC as an executive agency - a legal body ultimately answerable to the Commission. Some scientists fear that this could lead to political criteria determining scientific priorities and the Commission ignoring advice from the ERC's Scientific Council. 

Some member states favour establishing the ERC as a legal entity entirely separate from the Commission. This idea is supported by the main scientific organisations from France, Germany, Poland, Spain and the UK and by some Members of the European Parliament. According to the director-general of DG Research, Achilleas Mitsos, an independent ERC, separate from the Commission, could be vulnerable to the principle of "juste retour", meaning a structure ignoring scientific merit and distributing grants according to national quotas or contributions to the budget.

Dr. Helga Nowotny, the head of the European Research Advisory Board (EURAB ) and a recently appointed member of the Scientific Council of the future ERC told EurActiv in an interview that the ERC's Scientific Council has endorsed the Commission's proposal on the ERC's status. To read the full interview with Dr. Helga Nowotny, click here. 

The Council reached, however, a partial general approach on the EU's next Research Framework Programme (FP7). This is a political agreement without a specified budget (see EurActiv 12 October 2005).