INNOVATION: ERKKI LIIKANEN REJECTS NOTION OF A SINGLE SOLUTION.

Mr Liikanen emphasised that in respect of innovation policy, it is important to recognise that there is no single correct way of reducing the disparities between Member States. He suggested that the challenge for Member States is not necessarily to reproduce the policies of those countries posting the best results, but to define their own innovation policy taking account of their strengths, weaknesses, priorities and cultural traditions. He added that disparities in the innovation performance of Member States are more significant still than gaps in economic and social development and that one objective must be to contribute to reducing these imbalances.Variations between Union Member States are particularly significant in areas subject to the direct influence of private sector decisions, notably the R&D expenditure of enterprises and patent requests in high technology fields. By contrast, gaps are less marked in the majority of sectors highly influenced by public policies such as higher education and public R&D investment. Commissioner Liikanen also emphasised that the results set out on the innovation scoreboard identify Europe as the global leader in a number of fields. The United Kingdom, Ireland and France, for example, lead the way in offering science and engineering diplomas, whilst the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark can boast the most households connected to the Internet.The Commissioner indicated that the innovation scoreboard is, moreover, a starting point for analysing the various environments and...