Η μεταβαλλόμενη έννοια της ευρωπαϊκής ερευνητικής πολιτικής

Abstract

European research policy responds to and has an impact on international research policies trends. It reflects the depth of European integration and follows the changing normative view on public intervention in general and public intervention at the central European level in particular. The recognition of the public good element of research and of market failures as well as systemic failures does not provide sufficient justification for the existence of a European research policy. Cross-border externalities, indivisibilities and the potential of scale economies, the contribution of research to the production and provision of European public goods, e.g. in the area of health or environment, the multiple links to other European policies and the convergence of national preferences as regards research priorities define the normative view. At the positive level, the distinction between regulatory decisions, where the use of the 'community method' provides the European Commission and its policy entrepreneur function with an increased role, and fiscal decisions, where the intergovernmental character remains the prevailing one, defines the evolution of EU research policy. Finally, weak forms of intervention, declarations and European Council decisions, and the 'open method of coordination', are increasingly utilized, in particular from the moment competitiveness and the development of the European economy is no longer linearly linked with the contribution of research to innovation, but with the deeper contribution of the triptych of production, diffusion and transformation of knowledge -the triangle Research-Education-Innovation