Speaking yesterday (28 January) at a conference on the role of technological development in Europe's economic recovery, Pöttering said the EU will have to earmark a larger proportion of its funds for innovation if is going to secure new investment from industry.
"I have always been a strong supporter of the 7th EU Research and Technology programme. I can assure you all here today that this programme is here to stay and I would be confident that for the next EU Financial Perspective 2013-2021, the European Union will allocate an even greater proportion of the EU annual budget for research, technology and research programmes," said the Parliament president.
EU Commissioner for Science, Research and Technology Janez Potočnik said now would be the wrong time to slow investment in innovation. "Investment is vital if Europe wants to emerge stronger from the economic crisis and if it wants to address the challenges of climate change and globalisation."
The commissioner said the European Research Area was becoming increasingly attractive, but he was critical of "relative underinvestment by business" in developing high-tech products.
"The European Commission's initiatives to improve the EU's research efficiency, to stimulate innovation and to develop high tech markets are putting the EU on the right tracks," he said.
The Internet will be central to long-term competitiveness, said Irish MEP Brian Crowley, president of the Parliament's UEN Group, who chaired the meeting. He said evolving information technologies are fuelling a revolution in the way people interact, including in the way they interact commercially.
"We need to ensure that we put in place a policy platform which will guarantee that consumers and businesses alike can prosper in an ever-changing technological world and to guarantee that privacy issues are addressed."
He noted that 150 million people already use the Internet to shop online, but warned of a growing "digital age" between those who have access to information technology and those who do not.
