Does the Lisbon Treaty include research?
Yes. This is the first time that research has been specifically mentioned in an EU treaty, and this raises its status. Previously, research was considered as just a way to support EU objectives, such as to promote industrial competitiveness. What does the treaty actually say about research? It sets out an objective of “strengthening [the EU’s] scientific and technological bases by achieving a European research area in which researchers, scientific knowledge and technology circulate freely, and encouraging it to become more competitive, including its industry, while promoting all the research activities deemed necessary by virtue of other Chapters of the Treaty”. Isn’t this the old concept of the European Research Area? Yes it is. The EU has been working towards the integration of Europe’s scientific expertise in a European Research Area for more than a decade. But researchers in Europe are still confronted with the seemingly intractable problem of mobility. It is usually very difficult
