The European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva, said on Friday at the Forum Europa in Brussels that the EU must become "the home of scientific freedom" and "a beacon for the world", where innovation can "flourish and prosper".
Zaharieva addressed this issue at an informative meeting organised by New Economy Forum in the EU capital, where she stated that "scientists must be free to ask the big questions, without being limited by anyone's agenda".
The Bulgarian commissioner said that "the freedom of expression and scientific freedom that we value so much are under threat" in the current context, which is why she considered it essential for Europe to position itself as a global leader in these areas.
She argued that in order to "reverse the trend", the EU must be "the home of scientific freedom" and assured that "innovators must have the means to create new businesses, commercialise new ideas and grow our economy".
CHOOSE EUROPE INITIATIVE
At the same time, Zaharieva referred to the launch of the Choose Europe initiative, which "has already mobilised more than €700 million for the next two years to attract and retain the best minds in science and innovation".
She announced that Brussels "plans to adopt a European research area next year to make research careers more stable and to include scientific freedom in EU legislation".
She assured that this measure will be our signal to the world that Europe is not only open to the world's best talent, but is also the best place for researchers and innovators.
The European Commissioner said that "European researchers are our hidden strength" and that "every day they push the boundaries of human achievement and increase our competitiveness".
The EU wants to be the "home of scientific freedom" and innovation
