Innovation, patents and simplification topped the agenda at the latest meeting of the Competitiveness Council in Luxembourg on 11 and 12 October. Summing up the outcomes of the gathering, Jean-Claude Marcourt, who is among other things Minister for the Economy, SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), Foreign Trade and New Technologies of the Belgian region of Wallonia said: 'Member States are relying on innovation.' The European Commission released its plans for the creation of an 'Innovation Union', part of the wider Europe 2020 strategy, on 6 October. Ministers broadly welcomed the European Commission's approach, underlining the importance of placing innovation 'at the core of the EU's internal market for boosting competitiveness'. The Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU hopes to submit a set of conclusions for adoption at the 25 November meeting of the Competitiveness Council. The discussions will also feed into the wider debate on innovation which EU leaders will hold in December.
Another issue under discussion in Luxembourg was the EU patent. It is widely acknowledged that an EU patent is essential for encouraging innovation and boosting competitiveness. However, the question of translations has hampered progress towards an agreement on this subject. Under a European Commission proposal, EU patents would be granted in one of the official languages of the European Patent Office (EPO), i.e. English, French or German. Applicants would only have to provide translations into these languages; no further translations would be needed to enforce the EU patent throughout the EU. A 'very large majority' of Member States support a compromise set out by the Belgian Presidency, highlighting the importance of making available high-quality machine translations into all EU languages as well as compensation for the costs of translation of a patent application drafted in an EU language other than one of the official EPO languages.
News source: Cordis link: article
No comments:
Post a Comment