ANE’s Insights on the Vision
We’re excited to share our perspective on Ursula von der Leyen’s vision for the Next European Commission 2024-2029.
Ursula von der Leyen expresses a desire for a new approach to competition policy that is better aligned with common goals and supportive of companies scaling up in global markets. The competition policy emphasizes the importance of research and innovation as key drivers of economic growth.
We therefore applaud the proposed increase in investment in strategic technologies. Von der Leyen’s vision includes the creation of a new European Competitiveness Fund, which will concentrate on investing in strategic technologies such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and clean technologies. This initiative aims to ensure that Europe not only develops these innovations but also manufactures them domestically.
Another exciting development is the plan to leverage the biotech revolution through a new European Biotech Act in 2025. This initiative seeks to modernise the economy with the aid of biotechnologies, AI, and digital tools, thereby facilitating the transition from laboratory research to market-ready products.
We firmly believe that these initiatives can play a significant role in attracting and retaining talent in the EU, particularly in the STEM fields. STEM competencies are more than academic disciplines; they are the bedrock upon which Europe can secure and maintain its competitive edge.
The new EU Commission’s strategic plan for STEM education
The prospects of proposing a STEM Education Strategic Plan and emphasising innovation resonate with us.
Given the EU’s ambitious targets of achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and leading the green and digital transitions, the need to prioritize STEM competencies on the political agenda is more critical than ever. The strategic plan for STEM education, as suggested in Ursula von der Leyen’s vision underscores the importance of enhancing the quality of STEM education. This is particularly relevant as it aims to draw more individuals into engineering fields and, hopefully, encourage more girls and women to pursue STEM education and careers.
The shortage of STEM professionals across various sectors, compounded by an ageing workforce and the rapid pace of technological change, is a significant challenge. Therefore, we are thrilled to see Von der Leyen’s emphasis on attracting new talents and retaining the best minds in Europe. In line with this, we once again want to highlight the importance of prioritizing investments in analysing the sector’s skill demand. Additionally, the EU should propose concrete recommendations for Member States to develop and implement national STEM action plans.
We appreciate Von der Leyen’s efforts to address the skills gap in Europe through several initiatives aimed at enhancing education, training, and workforce development. These include the creation of a Union of Skills to invest in education and training across all skill levels, embedding lifelong learning into education and career paths, and boosting and refocusing skills funding in the EU budget.
Von der Leyen also emphasises the importance of creating conditions for researchers to thrive by fostering collaboration between research institutions, higher education, and businesses. This includes establishing innovative laboratories and joint undertakings to support the development of new ideas.
At ANE, we have been vocal about the need for a European STEM strategy, and we eagerly anticipate contributing to the implementation of this vision.
We invite you to explore our preliminary list of suggestions for an EU STEM strategy. Please note that this is a brief overview, and our comprehensive set of recommendations will be available in November.