European Council soft on member states’ R&D investment targets

The Spring Summit conclusions show varying national ambitions on the commonly agreed Barcelona target of increasing research investment to 3% of GDP by 2010.

“The European Council reiterates the commitment entered into at Barcelona, welcomes the progress made concerning setting specific national targets and calls upon all member states to promote policies and actions aiming at the established overall 3% objective by 2010, taking into account the different starting points of member states,” reads the Spring Council 2006 conclusions of 24 March 2006. 

However, the R&D expenditure targets set for 2010 by member states’ national reform programmes, annexed to the Spring Council conclusions, show varying, often far lower national targets than the 3% of GDP agreed upon in the Barcelona Summit in 2002. Greece (1.5%), Portugal (1.8%), Spain (2%) and Italy (2.5%) together with the Ireland (2.5% by 2013) and the United Kingdom (2.5% by 2014) have clearly scaled down their Barcelona ambitions. Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands have kept the target of 3%, whereas Sweden and Finland, who are already above the 3% level, now aim at 4% by 2010.

The new member states have even lower percentage targets (0.75-3%), but in terms of total increase, their targets often mean trebling their current investments. 

“The 3% target set in Barcelona should not be considered as a target but more as an indicator of whether we are doing things right or wrong,” says Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik, who has also repeatedly said, that “increasing investment in R&D is not a guarantee of success but if we don’t increase it, it is a guaranteed failure.”

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