Highlights

From one of the workshops
© The Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU

The EU's future research and innovation programme Horizon 2020 and the launch of the reform of the single market were the subjects of the informal meeting of ministers responsible for competitiveness in Copenhagen on 1-3 February, organised by the Danish Presidency.

Horizon 2020 was presented by the Commission in November 2011. It sets out to become the world's largest research programme, with a proposed budget of 80 billion euro and brings together all EU research and innovation funding under a single programme. The aim is to boost research and stimulate innovation in order to increase the EU's competitiveness and create jobs. Ministers exchanged views on how to ensure more simplified access to funding and less bureaucracy.

The discussion on the reform of the single market focused on initiatives designed to create a well-functioning digital single market. The establishment of such a market has huge growth potential. E-trade is one of its elements. Consumers get access to a wider range of goods, and businesses get access to an increasing market. Digital solutions should be promoted, in public services as well as in the private sector, in order to simplify procedures and make them more transparent. Examples of such solutions are e-procurement and e-invoices.

To illustrate the digital agenda, the meeting itself was digital. Paper was limited to a minimum, while documentation, including films, was downloaded on tablets handed out to the participants for the duration of this informal gathering.

More information:
How to innovate a Council meeting (Introduction to meeting from Danish Presidency, DA and EN)
The EU is one step closer to world’s largest research programme (Presidency press release)
Future EU growth is digital (Presidency press release)
Presidency summary (pdf)
Horizon 2020 (Commission website)
Digital Agenda for Europe (Commission website)