Council Resolution concerning the reinforcement of the mobility strategy within the European Research Area (ERA)

(2001/C 367/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION:

1. RECALLING the importance which Heads of State or Governement at recent European Councils held at Lisbon, Nice and Stockholm have attached to increased professional and vocational mobility for men and women throughout the European Union;

2. RECALLING the creation of ERA which was endorsed by the Heads of State or Government at the Lisbon European Council; and in this context, RECALLING the need to take steps to remove obstacles to the mobility of researchers in Europe by 2002 and to attract and retain high quality research talent in Europe;

3. RECALLING the Council Resolution of 15 June 2000 and 16 November 2000 in respect of ERA(1) which invited the Member States and the Commission to cooperate to identify and subsequently to remove obstacles to the mobility of researchers and which welcomed the importance attached to human resources in the creation of ERA and to fostering the mobility of researchers;

4. REAFFIRMS the importance of researchers' mobility in making a reality of ERA; and REITERATES its intention to eliminate persistent obstacles to the mobility of researchers, which are mutlifaceted in nature and include those of a cultural, social, administrative, legal and regulatory nature;

5. WELCOMES the cooperation established between Member States and the Commission which has led to a first analysis of the major obstacles to researcher mobiltiy;

6. WELCOMES the general approach of the Commission set out in its communication for "A mobility strategy for ERA" and in particular, EMPHASISES the need to:

- consider actions to be taken to create a favourable environment for mobility and for the pursuit of scientific excellence by this means;

- take account of the particular situation of researchers in the context of mobility in general,

- stress the importance given to human resources and mobility in the context of the sixth EC research framework programme;

7. ENDORSES efforts to:

- improve information on mobility to researchers, in particular by the creation of a dedicated internet portal, a network of mobility centres, where appropriate building on existing structures, and by the better dissemination of vacancies,

- examine qualitative issues in respect of, for example, exchanges of best practice and benchmarking;

8. INVITES the Commission:

- to give due emphasis to the importance of the mobility of researchers in its "mobility action plan" which will be presented to the European Council in spring 2002 on developing and opening up new European labour markets; as well as, inter alia, to promote gender equality and enhance the contribution of young scientists to research,

- to ensure that the candidate countries are fully associated with the definition and execution of actions in favour of mobility,

- to report annually on the progress achieved in undertaking its strategy in favour of mobility for researchers.

(1) OJ C 205, 19.7.2000, p. 1.

OJ C 374, 28.12.2000, p. 1.