Est. 3min 28-05-2010 (updated: 05-11-2012 ) science_financing.jpg Euractiv is part of the Trust Project >>> Languages: Français | DeutschPrint Email Facebook X LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Bulgaria will try to reduce the target of investing 3% of GDP in research and development (R&D) established by the 'Europe 2020' strategy – or at least the impoverished country will aim to sharply reduce its national share, writes Dnevnik, EURACTIV's partner publication in Bulgaria. Following discussions held by the Bulgarian government, it has become clear that Bulgaria has no resources to meet the 3% target. This is what the country's prime minister, Boyko Borissov, will tell his counterparts at an EU summit on 17-18 June, when the EU's new research and innovation strategy will be negotiated, Dnevnik writes. ''The EU target is 3%. We think it should be between 1.4% and 2%,'' Economy Minister Traicho Traikov said after a cabinet meeting on 5 May. This view was adopted as the government's position for the upcoming EU summit, where Bulgaria will negotiate from the position of worst performer in the fields of innovation, investment and competitiveness. At present, just 0.15% of GDP in Bulgaria is spent on R&D. ''We cannot figure out how we could increase the financing of R&D to more than 0.6%,'' stated Education Minister Sergey Ignatov after the same cabinet meeting. In fact, the 3% target for investment in R&D is for the EU as a whole. Some older members are near or even above the target, while the newcomers are lagging behind (see Positions). Bulgaria expects the EU budget to provide some help in increasing R&D expenditure. At present, €39 million is available for Bulgaria under the operational programmes 'Competitiveness' and 'Human Resources Development'. However, in these particular fields, Bulgaria's absorption capacity proved to be extremely low. Bulgaria has its own national innovation fund, designed to assist enterprises in the fields of research and innovation. However, the last call for projects took place in 2008 and no selection procedures have been organised for 2009 or 2010. 'New culture' needed for R&D Another challenge for the Bulgarian authorities is to create incentives for businesses to participate more actively in R&D activities. ''This means we should introduce a new culture in our country, although I cannot see for the next ten years by what miracle this could take place,'' Ignatov is quoted as saying. Read more with Euractiv Hungary faces uphill battle to reach EU's 3% R&D targetHungary's expenditure on investing in research and development (R&D) barely amounts to 1% of GDP today. While Brussels sees boosting research and innovation as a way out of the current crisis, it is the economic downturn itself that is making the target seem over-ambitious. EURACTIV Hungary reports. Subscribe now to our newsletter EU Elections Decoded Email Address * Politics Newsletters Positions“The European Commission has never proposed under the Europe 2020 Strategy a 3% goal for Bulgaria and will not be making such a proposal,” Mark English, spokesperson to Research and Innovation commissioner Máire Geoghegan Quinn told EURACTIV. The Commission proposed, and EU leaders agreed, that each country should set different, ambitious but realistic national targets taking into account their starting positions, he said. The exact national targets are likely to be endorsed by the European Council in June, following current discussions between the Commission and Member States, which have been going very well, he added. It is certain that for new member states, including Bulgaria, the final targets will be considerably under 3%, while for some of the leading countries in terms of current investment levels, they will be significantly higher than 3%, the spokesperson explained. BackgroundRaising investment in R&D to 3% of the EU’s GDP is one of the five priorities of a draft ten-year economic plan unveiled by the European Commission in March, called 'Europe 2020' (EURACTIV 03/03/10). General lines of this plan, the specific 3% EU target and the idea of national targets were agreed by the 27 heads of state and government at the Spring European Council. The June Council will endorse the detailed draft of the integrated policy guidelines. The strategy defines five headline targets at EU level, which member states will be asked to translate into national goals reflecting their differing starting points: Raising the employment rate of the population aged 20-64 from the current 69% to 75%. Raising the investment in R&D to 3% of the EU's GDP. Meeting the EU's '20/20/20' objectives on greenhouse gas emission reduction and renewable energies. Reducing the share of early school leavers from the current 15% to under 10% and making sure that at least 40% of youngsters have a degree or diploma. Reducing the number of Europeans living below the poverty line by 25%, lifting 20 million out of poverty from the current 80 million. In a series of articles, the EURACTIV network will present the state of play in individual EU countries on each of the targets. This series looks at how member states react to the 3% R&D target. The EURACTIV network already found that Eastern EU countries have either rejected or dismissed as irrelevant the planned EU target to reduce poverty (EURACTIV 06/05/10). Timeline 17-18 June 2010: EU summit to adopt further details of 2020 strategy, including country-specific targets. Autumn 2010: Member states to submit stability and convergence programmes, as well as national reform programmes. Further ReadingEuropean Union European Commission:Europe 2020 targets(3 Mar. 2010) European Commission:Europe 2020: Commission proposes new economic strategy in Europe(3 Mar. 2010) European Council:Conclusions(26 Mar. 2010) Press articles Dnevnik, the partner of EURACTIV in Bulgaria:????? ? ????? ?? ????? ???????
