European Union

The European Commission is proposing a compromise to break decades of deadlock in the effort to create a European Union-wide patent.

A draft European law to fight counterfeiting and piracy has been narrowed to exclude patent infringements – but many other legitimate activities look set to be criminalised.

The latest stop for the Science|Business road show had leading lights in EU policy arguing about what it takes to create a European innovation zone.

Innovation policy is hot in Brussels, says Science|Business editor Richard L. Hudson. Hot enough for so a confusing array of proposals, white papers, conferences and task forces.

As the German presidency gets into its stride, Framework Programme 7 was officially launched last week, with a two day event in Bonn.

The latest Eurostat data on R&D investment in the EU published last week show that in 2005 the EU27 spent just over Euros 200 billion.

The latest OECD research on Japan provides a warning to Europe that merely spending more does not make innovation spring forth.

For six years, policy-makers around Europe have been talking about the “Lisbon Agenda”. Is anybody listening? Even in Lisbon?

Political naivety and national protectionism were blamed for quashing the latest attempt to forge a single patent regime for the European Union.