Presidency Programme

The official programme of the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union during the second half of 2018 (1 July to 31 December 2018) had as its motto "A Europe that protects". For the field of research, technology and innovation, the Presidency priorities were the negotiations on Horizon Europe, Council Conclusions on the European Research Area, and research and innovation serving sectoral policies.

The research chapter of the Austrian Presidency programme reads as follows:

Research

Setting the course for the future

It is research and innovation that fuel the dynamic development of our societies. The second semester of 2018 will provide a chance to set the course for the future.

This includes first and foremost the negotiations on Horizon Europe, the world’s largest and most successful research programme. The ninth edition of the programme will continue well-established funding instruments but will also provide new impetus, be it with respect to the European Innovation Council or developments towards stronger mission orientation of research and innovation. The Austrian Presidency will strive for quick and efficient progress on this negotiation package.

Moreover, the Austrian Presidency aims for Council conclusions on the European Research Area, which is to give prominence above all to activities that hold out the promise of major progress towards a Single Market for Knowledge, such as the European Open Science Cloud.

Demand will have to play an even stronger role in research and innovation. The challenges of digitalisation or climate change, for instance, are major factors in driving demand for research. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals provide an important reference framework for the demand for research and innovation. The Austrian Presidency sees research and innovation as a generic policy area that has to be put to work for all sectoral policies.

The Austrian Presidency programme is available for download in English and in German below and on the official Austian Council Presidency website eu2018.at

To access the current trio programme (Romania, Finland, Croatia), click here.