‘Chaotic’ late bid for EIT headquarters

The East German city of Jena has thrown its hat into the ring to become a candidate to host the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) in a showpiece event which took place in Brussels on 22 May. But questions remain about the late candidacy, despite its acceptance by the Council.

The Slovenian Presidency set the deadline for applications at 25 April. However, both Federal Minister of Education Dr. Annette Schavan and the Prime Minister of the Free State of Thuringia, Dieter Althaus, said the bid was “late, but not too late”. 

The deputy head of mission at the Brussels representation of the state of Thuringia, Robert Möhrle, confirmed the application had been sent in a letter to Commission President José Manuel Barroso on 4 April. According to press reports, Möhrle said the bid “was a bit chaotic” but was accepted by the Presidency. 

When questioned by EURACTIV, Möhrle said “I cannot say why it was late, that is something you should ask the politicians.” He could not explain why the bid was sent to the Commission President and not to the Slovenian Presidency. 

Minister Schavan gave a diplomatic response, saying the application was made to the right people and presented “everywhere it was meant to be presented,” including via consultations with the Commission and the Council. The minister underlined the importance of long-standing German support for the overall Commission proposal for the EIT. 

The application was made in the hope that, following the decision made in 2003 by the old EU member states to give new EU institutions right of place in the new member states, Jena could qualify as being ‘Eastern’ enough. In fact, the principle of Jena acting as a bridge between the old and new member states was a point highlighted several times in the presentation. 

Deputy Head Möhrle confirmed this and believed the EIT should not be seen as being placed as either in the east or the west of Europe, but saw Jena as a place “that brings together the challenges of east and west”. 

Jena hopes to gain recognition, not least by recently being nominated the ‘City of Science’ for 2008, to complement its role as a scientific hub in the optics industry. It also plays host to world-renowned companies such as optics firms Carl Zeiss and Jenoptik. 

According to Council sources, a decision on the EIT is expected to be reached by ministers in an informal dinner on 29 May in Brussels. If they reach a unanimous agreement, ministers will meet in an Intergovernmental Conference the next day to adopt the decision. In any case, ministers hope to agree on the seat of the EIT before the Commission names the Governing Board at the end of June. 

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