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Solidarity must be at heart of research, innovation in Europe: EU official

Xinhua, May 3, 2017 Adjust font size:

Solidarity must be the main political pillar of the European Union (EU) when it comes to research and innovation in the bloc, said European Commissioner Carlos Moedas at the informal meeting of ministers responsible for competitiveness held here on Wednesday.

Moedas said research and innovation played crucial roles and were fundamental resources for ongoing maritime and migration issues in the Mediterranean area.

"We have to feed a planet that will have almost 10 billion people by 2050. Research and science can help address this issue," said Moedas, adding that water was also a scarce resource, and that the level of drinkable water in the past 20 years had been decreasing.

The focal points of discussion at the informal meeting were two initiatives to support these issues -- PRIMA and BLUEMED.

The PRIMA initiative -- Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean -- is the biggest initiative in terms of food and water in the Mediterranean, with a budget of more than 500 million euros (546 million U.S. dollars), 220 million of which come from the European Commission.

PRIMA is set to develop novel solutions for sustainable water management and food production. The partnership is expected to boost local business and investment opportunities, as well as address unemployment and migration issues in the region.

The other initiative, BLUEMED, intends to tap into the full potential of the marine and maritime sectors to generate new jobs, thus improving social well-being, sustainable prosperity and the environment.

He added that currently the EU is in the interim process of evaluating Horizon 2020 -- the EU's 7-year, 80-billion-euro research and development program. This report should be available in June of this year. Endit