Minister: ‘ERA success will make national R&D spending irrelevant’

Slovenian EU presidency hopes European Research Area can shift spending focus, country’s minister says

Slovenia’s science minister, Simona Kustec, has told MEPs that national spending on R&D will become less important and relevant if the bloc can agree on a “clear vision” for the European Research Area—the EU’s policies for raising standards and increasing mobility.

Slovenia is chairing member states’ EU-related activities for the July-December period as it holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, and establishing a new governance framework for the ERA is one of four R&D priorities for the presidency.