Carlos Moedas, Portugal’s nominee for EU Commissioner for research, wins over MEPs. Now it’s time for implementation, implementation, implementation, he says
Portugal’s new Commissioner and nominee for the research portfolio, Carlos Moedas, managed to strike the right note in his hearing before MEPs, drawing on skills from his former career as a banker with Goldman Sachs, to make a polished sales pitch.
For three hours in the European Parliament on Tuesday, 30 September, Moedas deftly moved between speaking in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish, highlighting his eagerness to be accepted into the Brussels’ research fold. His homework had spanned antibiotic resistance, shale gas, innovation divides, 3D printing, materials science and the humanities.
The performance convinced the evaluation team from the Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) committee, which stamped “approved” on his candidature.
Although a relatively unknown quantity in Brussels, the political dynamics favoured Moedas, who is a member of the European People’s party (EPP), the largest cohort in the European Parliament.
As it turned out, he did not need to draw on this political capital, with his performance demonstrating enough flair to win the support needed.
However, a slight rancour over Moedas’s role in administering Portugal’s €78 billion bailout programme hovered in the air, and as a result he did not get the backing of far left MEPs.
Top-line goals
“Implementation, implementation, implementation,” said the 44 year old, in a response to a MEP’s question on how he saw his role for the next five years.
“I'm really an implementation person. It was my job for three years in Portugal. I worked every day, every hour, every second to eliminate barriers,” he said.
There are three main bottlenecks in Europe’s research world, with a need for common objectives between national research agendas; a lack of transparency in university recruitment; and an ongoing gender imbalance.
A roadmap will be presented at the end of 2015 to complete the European Research Area (ERA), he said. “I will be ferocious in making sure it is implemented,” Moedas promised.
Unsurprisingly his answers showed a strong command of the figures and he peppered his speech with minute detail on Horizon 2020, the EU’s €80 billion research programme.
Moedas will have to steer his agenda around four vice presidents who have oversight of part of the portfolio. “We have to work in a team. I will use every opportunity to [promote] innovation, I will be the torch-bearer,” he said. “Nobody is as smart as everybody. We’ll be smarter together.”
Handling the issues
Moedas was on top of the dossier and he sounded the right notes: The European Research Council is the best of the best; when it comes to gender imbalances in research no talent should go to waste.
However, there were one or two ducked questions, with Philippe De Backer, Belgian MEP tweeting that Moedas had not quite answered his question on intellectual property rights for universities in public-private partnerships, a topic much debated by those participating in the EU’s joint technology initiatives.
Reinhard Bütikofer, Green MEP, was baffled by an answer Moedas gave on ensuring sustainable principles remain in research. "Green growth must also promote economic growth otherwise we won't have sustainable growth," said Moedas. “What?” was Bütikofer’s response.
Generally, however, Moedas skirted controversy well and gave diplomatic answers on awkward issues.
Shale gas was a case in point. There will be no diktats from his office, Moedas said. On the genetically modified organisms that are so hated in some quarters the answer was that under his watch any, “ethical principles in Horizon 2020 [will] be followed to the line.”
Impression
Moedas was lightly ribbed on Twitter for leaning on technocratic words. But he is generally considered likeable and hard-working.
At the end of his three hour audition the impression was positive and he left the chamber to warm applause. Jerzy Buzek, chair of the Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) committee, seemed genuinely thrilled to note that Moedas was a one-time Erasmus student in Paris.
Moedas was careful to compliment the work of his future colleagues on the ITRE Committee. He was also personable, at one point telling MEP Carlos Zorrinho he has been reading his writings on innovation for years, and his answers were never curt.
Muriel Attané, Secretary General of the European Association of Research and Technology Organisations (EARTO), praised a “well prepared” hearing, but said a couple of things were left unsaid. “We did not hear much on bridging the valley of death and applied research,” she noted.
Moedas showed flair and no little passion when asked about the unequal distribution of research money across Europe, by a member of the far left GUE group.
“Europe is not a mathematical project,” he said. “There's value beyond figures in participating in Horizon 2020. I know lots of researchers who have benefited from collaboration.”
Moedas was also dextrous on the subject of Portugal’s bail-out, in which he played a key role. The programme meant cuts to research budgets, Marisa Matias, Portugal’s far-left MEP put to him. “I’ve always understood how hard austerity was. But Portugal was in a situation where it needed to turn its credibility around,” Moedas said in response.
Issues in quotes
On shale gas
“The energy mix is a choice of each country, it’s not my role to help define it. Research on shale gas is about giving you an answer as to what is the real potential and what is the real risk. I see a pure role of science in getting the information.”
On achieving cheaper energy for Europe
“We can get renewables cheaper with more research. The solution to [making something] better is more research.”
On Genetically Modified Organisms
“Ethical principles in Horizon 2020 should be followed to the line.”
On the ITER Fusion Project
“ITER is a very important project. It [could] allow us to get a lot of our problems solved and [could] be unique. But I’m aware of the problems and cost overruns, and I will be looking at that."
On delays in research payments for Horizon 2020 projects
“For me, that’s one of the major points in the first few days. I need the help of the Parliament to tackle this. The situation as it is not sustainable.”
On sustainable growth
“If you can't grow in a sustainable way, don't even bother.”
On gender balance in science
“I will be vigilant on the gender dimension; we cannot afford to waste any talent.”
On the European Research Council
“It’s the best of the best in the world. Frontier research is the stream that leads into the rivers of technology creation.”
On measuring success of research and innovation
“We need better, more complex indicators of innovation output. The future is about the result, not the input.”
On Europe’s innovation divide
"We have to go further on measures to widen participation and reduce the innovation gap. We cannot allow any member state to fall behind.”
On scaling back the EU
“I have no answer for this [proposition]. I believe in Europe, I want my children to live in a Europe that is better for all.”
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