Czechs to push for change in EU’s entrepreneurial mindset

Well ahead of the game, the Czech education minister has already revealed his country’s priorities for its upcoming EU presidency. Stimulating closer partnerships between educational institutions and the business world and teaching Europeans to embrace a more entrepreneurial spirit sit at the top of the list.

In line with the European Year of Creativity and Innovation in 2009, the Czech EU Presidency (January-June 2009) hopes to spark the beginnings of a change in Europe’s entrepreneurial mindset. 

“We have the best pre-conditions to move forward on this issue during our Presidency,” said Czech Education Minister Ondrej Liška on 11 September, referring to support indicated by the Commission and MEPs for its priority of building closer partnerships between educational institutions and employers in Europe.

No new law or directive will be proposed, he said, adding that the focus would rather be on getting rid of the laws that currently present obstacles to cooperation between the two worlds as well as on improving best-practice exchange on the issue between the EU 27.

The Czech Presidency will summarise the bloc’s current efforts on enhancing business-university cooperation and present concrete recommendations for member states on the issue in the form of Council conclusions by the end of its presidency. Acknowledging that national governments retain responsibility for education policy, Liška said that given the effort being put into the Lisbon Strategy at EU level, it is a pity that member states are not able to act on this at home. This is a problem that needs solving, he stressed.

“In the Czech Republic we lack private money in support of entrepreneurship, incubators and research projects,” said Liška, adding that the problem was the same in all other EU countries. He wants each government to analyse the barriers in their own countries and make the appropriate changes to overcome obstacles to enhanced business-education cooperation.

As an example of action taken in his own country, Liška said the Czech Republic was currently in a process of changing its rigid tax system, which actually penalises innovative businesses that invest in education. He also deplored the fact that despite the single market and the Services Directive, there are still “many legal obstacles” to workers’ mobility in the EU, as well as to setting up business in another country.

Asked whether it is really possible to teach entrepreneurship, Czech MEP Jan B?ezina said triggering changes in education were only one aspect of the entrepreneurial mindset problem. Another is achieving a change in the spirit of society which, according to him, is not a “ten-year process” but something that it would take a generation to achieve.

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