Regulation on European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Partial general approach Statements by the AT delegation and the BG, HU, LT and PL delegations - Hoofdinhoud

Council of the European Union Brussels, 26 November 2019 (OR. en)

14325/19

Interinstitutional File: ADD 1

2019/0151(COD) i

RECH 502 COMPET 756 EDUC 458 CODEC 1679

NOTE

From: Permanent Representatives Committee (Part 1)

To: Council

No. prev. doc.: 14023/1/19

No. Cion doc.: 11228/19+ADD1

Subject: Regulation on European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)

Partial general approach Statements by the AT delegation and the BG, HU, LT and PL delegations

Delegations will find attached above-mentioned statements which will be annexed to the Council minutes.

ANNEX

Competitiveness Council, 29 November 2019

Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Institute of

Innovation and Technology (EIT), Partial General Approach

Statement by the AT Delegation

Austria welcomes the agreement on the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). However, also with a view to the ongoing negotiations on the Strategic Innovation Agenda (SIA) for the EIT, Austria wishes to underline its interpretation of two important aspects of this Regulation:

Article 6 (b) states that the EIT shall ensure openness to, and raise awareness among, potential new partner organisations, and encourage their participation in the EIT’s activities across the Union, including through the Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS). For Austria it is important to underline that “across the Union” in this context means that all regions with a low participation in EIT activities will be treated equally with regard to support from the RIS.

Article 4a (5) of the Decision on establishing the specific programme implementing Horizon

Europe (in the version of the PGA reached on 15 April 2019) states that the strategic planning process shall be complemented by a strategic coordinating process for European Partnerships; and according to Article 8 of the Regulation establishing Horizon Europe (in the version of the common understanding reached on 27 March 2019), EIT KICs are European Partnerships. This means that the strategic coordinating process has to include the EIT KICs. Austria therefore interprets

Article 4(2) of the EIT Regulation in such a way that the reference to the strategic planning process also includes the strategic coordinating process for European Partnerships, and that therefore the SIA for the EIT will have to take the strategic coordinating process into account.

Statement by the Bulgarian, Hungarian, Lithuanian and Polish delegations on the RIS scheme of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology for the Competitiveness Council

meeting on 29 November 2019

We welcome the proposal on the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) that will contribute to Horizon Europe goals via the integration of the knowledge triangle.

We acknowledge the progress achieved during the negotiations on the EIT legislative package and especially the attempts to increase the openness and transparency of the EIT.

Nevertheless, we are concerned about the widened scope of the definition of the Regional

Innovation Scheme (RIS). The current proposal refers to the eligibility of countries, however does not give any indication as to their innovation performance. Furthermore, the envisaged budget for the RIS scheme, comprising 10-12% of the total EIT KIC’s budget also prevents the extension of the scope of the RIS.

We stress, that the focus on regions in the countries that are modest and moderate innovators is a precondition to effectiveness of the RIS. The innovation capacity of regions beyond these countries should be fostered through other measures that could be developed in the EIT Strategic Innovation Agenda (SIA).

Considering that the legal acts of the EIT legislative package are intrinsically interlinked, we reserve the right to come back to the negotiations on the regulation in case the development of the SIA does not reflect the direction presented in the progress report.

We invite the Presidency, European Commission, Member States and European Parliament to address this issue.

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