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Results of the EU Competitiveness Council (Space, Research & Innovation), 23 May 2024

May 24, 2024 , , ,

Brussels, 23 May 2024

Space

Space law 

Ministers held a policy debate on the EU space law, which the Commission is expected to propose soon.

The discussion was based on a note prepared by the Belgian presidency which identifies several challenges that need to be addressed by the future EU space law, including the congestion of certain orbits (in particular the low Earth orbit), the risk of cyber-attacks on space infrastructure, the environmental impact of space activities and the dependency on third countries for technologies and raw materials. Member states called for a speedy adoption of the space law.

 

Preparation of the Joint EU-ESA Space Council meeting

Ministers prepared the joint EU-ESA Space Council meeting, which was held after the space part of the Competitiveness Council meeting. The Space Council is a joint meeting at ministerial level of the Council of the European Union and the European Space Agency (ESA). It is based on Article 8 of the Framework Agreement between the European Community and ESA, which was signed 20 years ago. Today’s meeting was the 11th Space Council meeting since the signature of the agreement.

EU ministers discussed with the non-EU members of ESA (Norway, Switzerland, Canada and the UK) the document ‘Strengthening Europe’s competitiveness through space’, which was adopted in the form of two separate files: Council conclusions (for the Council of the EU – see below) and an ESA resolution (for ESA).

 

Contribution of space to Europe’s competitiveness 

The Council adopted conclusions on ‘strengthening Europe’s competitiveness through space’. The text reflects on how a more competitive European space sector can contribute to the economic and social challenges facing the Union and reinforce its role at global level. The conclusions highlight the growing relevance of space for many EU socio-economic challenges and policies, including the green deal (in particular data collection to improve understanding of and preparation for climate change), the digital transition (space-based communication and information services) and the overall competitiveness of the EU. Space also contributes to economic growth by generating innovative solutions, systems applications and services that can benefit many other sectors through more integrated cooperation between the space and non-space sectors.

The space sector will play an increasingly important role in the strategic autonomy of Europe. An ambitious space policy will create business opportunities and quality jobs in this fast-growing sector, and will also help our economy, both industry and services, to accelerate the green and digital transitions and be better prepared to compete at global level.

Thomas Dermine, State Secretary for Recovery and Strategic Investment, with responsibility for Scientific Policy, attached to the Minister for the Economy and Employment

 

Other business

Under any other business, ministers were informed about two matters:

Incoming presidency programme

The Council was informed by the Hungarian delegation of the work programme of the incoming presidency in the field of space.

Accelerating the use of space in Europe 

The Director General of ESA, Josef Aschbacher, gave a presentation on ‘Accelerating the use of space in Europe’.

 

Research

EuroHPC joint undertaking and artificial intelligence (AI Factories Act)

Ministers responsible for research opened the research part of the COMPET Council with a political agreement on amendment of the regulation establishing the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU), also known as AI factories act. This amendment will introduce an additional objective for the joint undertaking: supporting an AI ecosystem in the EU by developing and operating AI factories. AI factories are defined as entities providing an AI supercomputing service infrastructure which is composed, amongst other things, of an AI-dedicated supercomputer, an associated data centre, and AI-oriented supercomputing services.

Unity is Europe’s strength and together we have achieved great goals. We have seen this with the development of our world-class super-computers, and now we want to boost the outcomes of these powerful machines through trustworthy AI. The main objectives of our political agreement are to launch our artificial intelligence start-ups into the first division of this crucial technology, support a highly competitive and innovative AI ecosystem and strengthen the EU’s technological autonomy.

Willy Borsus, Vice-President of Wallonia and Minister for Economic Affairs, Foreign Trade, Research and Innovation, the Digital Economy, Spatial Planning, Agriculture, the IFAPME (Walloon institute for ongoing and freelance training and SMEs) and competence centres

 

Research security 

Ministers also adopted a recommendation on enhancing research security to support the Commission, member states and research organisations with addressing research security risks stemming from openness and international cooperation. The recommendation warns of the urgent need to raise awareness and build resilience among researchers and academics across Europe. The text adopted by the ministers identifies risks relating mainly to undesirable transfer of knowledge, malign influence, and ethical or integrity violations. The recommendation does not contain binding provisions but offers guidance on measures that could be taken by the Commission, the member states and the research community.

This recommendation has been a priority for the Belgian Presidency in the field of research and innovation. While we are open to knowledge exchange and international cooperation in the field of research, we should not be naïve. The changing geopolitical context urgently requires our joint response to avoid the use of our own research against our security or our values. The scientific community needs guidance without delay.

Willy Borsus, Vice-President of Wallonia and Minister for Economic Affairs, Foreign Trade, Research and Innovation, the Digital Economy, Spatial Planning, Agriculture, IFAPME (Walloon institute for ongoing and freelance training and SMEs) and competence centres

 

Knowledge valorisation 

Ministers approved Council conclusions on knowledge valorisation, the process of creating social and economic value from knowledge obtained from research and innovation. The main aim of the conclusions is to address ways to support knowledge valorisation. The text adopted takes stock of recent initiatives and the guidelines for strengthening knowledge valorisation and makes proposals to fill in the gaps in the European innovation landscape.

Knowledge valorisation is a powerful tool to boost the competitiveness of our industry and to improve the lives of our citizens. We cannot afford to allow the wealth of our knowledge to remain in the laboratory and not be transformed into concrete projects for our society. Only by getting the most out of our research and innovation will we be able to compete on the global stage and take the lead in the future knowledge-based industrial revolution.

Willy Borsus, Vice-President of Wallonia and Minister for Economic Affairs, Foreign Trade, Research and Innovation, the Digital Economy, Spatial Planning, Agriculture, IFAPME (Walloon institute for ongoing and freelance training and SMEs) and competence centres

 

Ex-post evaluation of Horizon 2020 

Ministers approved Council conclusions on the ex-post evaluation of Horizon 2020, the research and innovation framework programme (FP) that ran from 2014 until 2020. The conclusions analyse the core principles of Horizon 2020, its scientific, social and economic impact, and the synergies between Horizon 2020 and other European programmes and funds. The conclusions welcome the support provided by the programme for the European Research Area (ERA) and call for improved implementation and monitoring of future programmes. These conclusions are the first milestone of the upcoming negotiations of the future Framework program.

Although Horizon 2020 is a success story, we cannot be complacent. Research and innovation will be critical for our competitiveness and sovereignty in the years to come. We need to make the most of the lessons learnt in Horizon 2020 to ensure that the next framework programme for research and development is even more ambitious, efficient and successful.

Willy Borsus, Vice-President of Wallonia and Minister for Economic Affairs, Foreign Trade, Research and Innovation, the Digital Economy, Spatial Planning, Agriculture, IFAPME (Walloon institute for ongoing and freelance training and SMEs) and competence centres

 

Research and innovation on advanced materials – Policy debate

Ministers held a policy debate about research and innovation on advanced materials for industrial leadership. This policy debate was based on a note prepared by the Belgian presidency and aimed to focus on joint coordination to reduce fragmentation, prioritisation of sectoral application areas, and sharing of existing best practices. ‘Advanced materials’ are new materials or substances with enhanced properties (i.e. strength, durability, or conductivity) that enable the creation of new products and devices that are essential in a wide range of sectors, including space, defence, agrifood and healthcare.

 

Other business

Incoming presidency programme

The Council was informed by the Hungarian delegation about the work programme of the incoming presidency in the field of research.

 

Preparatory documents
Outcome documents
Press releases

 

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