It is perhaps the EU's most ambitious program for interconnected continental development: 95,5 billion euros, 5,4 of which taken from the Next Generation Eu, are the endowment of the research program Horizon Europe. It will go on until 2027 and has the ambition to fight future pandemics, climate change, help decarbonisation, stimulate research and innovation. The European Parliament approved it while the governments present their respective Recovery plans to the Commission. But there were many expectations for the vote in the plenary, above all because from 1 January of this year the European Commission itself has already implemented, provisionally, some parts in dialogue with the governments. It is an opportunity to reorganize the future starting from knowledge, challenging the themes of globalization and the protection of the planet. Europe plays a trump card.
“With this programme, the EU has legally committed itself to defending academic freedom across the continent”, said Christian Ehler, rapporteur of the measure. The politician wanted to highlight a central point of a non-sovereign vision in a complicated electoral forum. Scientific research and freedom of analysis run through all program options. The strategic satisfaction of the objectives also indicated by the Next Generation Eu becomes even more correlated to the ability of States and research centers to independently develop projects and patents. What we are witnessing these days regarding the patents of the anti-Covid vaccines is only the reflection of political interests and gaps.
Even more if we talk about the environment, energy, fossil fuels, agricultural policy, open questions on which the fate of 27 countries is at stake. While Italy and Spain are running for leadership in alternative energy, for example, Germany and France are holding onto theirs nuclear power plants. When the Commission examines the various Recovery, it will let us understand the direction it intends to take to ensure well-being and development. For now, it can satisfy a science-based program. Putting together so much money and such suggestive study hypotheses was not easy. Of course, it will be necessary to verify the progress and concrete implementation in the individual States. Given that everything will not be able to stop and gnaw away shares of the approximately 100 billion available.
The Program voted by an overwhelming majority even by representatives of countries less sensitive to freedom of research is, therefore, an opportunity to rethink the life of public institutions, state budget funds, personnel selection, the precariousness of many researchers. Europe's will unfolds along three main axes: Science of Excellence, Global Challenges, Innovation. The 'Science of Excellence' will support researchers with fellowships and exchanges through the European Research Council (ERC). For 'Global Challenges and Industrial Competitiveness', in addition to supporting research on major industrial challenges, an attempt will be made to define the main focus of EU-level study missions. Again a central role is assigned to the Joint Research Center (JRC). The Organization supports the national political authorities with many forms of collaboration, but will have to plan for its greater commitment. As for "Innovative Europe” Parliament has said it wants to make Europe the leading country in innovation in all fields. It is certainly the biggest bet that projects the old continent into global interdisciplinary competition starting from the great themes of the fight against climate change and technological innovation.
Using the enhancement of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) created in 2008 as an excuse, it will finally be possible to build those "knowledge and innovation communities" with businesses and the world of work to bring down chip purchases, semiconductors, electric batteries, in USA, China, USA, Taiwan. The industrial and export strength of those countries derives from the determination with which they have encouraged research and synergies with the industrial world in past years. It is no coincidence that the greatest legacy of the pandemic will be for them a newfound cohesion between subjects, perhaps with some nationalist tremors. Only the importance of investing in health and education will survive, along with the need to use science and technology, wrote political scientist Fareed Zakaria in “Ten lessons for a post-pandemic world”. Europe is still in time.
