Geoghegan-Quinn given three weeks to develop jobs policy
She hit the ground running on her first day in her new job yesterday, when she briefed journalists on a role that will give her centre stage in efforts to revive Europe’s economy.
Next week, she will speak with the heads of the major innovation multinationals including Google, Nokia, Intel and Microsoft, to encourage them to spend more on research.
The former justice minister will also meet researchers in Irish universities, including TCD and UCD, next week.
“People said there were too many vested interests to allow changes to mobile phone roaming charges, but they were proved wrong by the last commission. I hope to achieve similar results.”
Ms Geoghegan-Quinn said that she will work to have EU structural funds channelled towards helping countries like Ireland set up the infrastructure they need for research projects.
She also wants to encourage more SMEs to develop products with the help of the EU funds but says barriers to their participation will have to be removed.
Currently Ireland is winning grants worth an average of €1 million a week from the EU’s €56 billion research fund, but she acknowledged that this is short of what could be achieved considering non-EU member Israel has won similar amounts.
But her immediate job is to work with Industry and Entrepreneurship Commissioner, Antonio Tajani, to set out priorities for the commission on what needs to be done and who needs to do it to boost research and job creation.
The EU has failed to meet its target of spending 3% of GDP on research and is stuck on less than 2%, despite a real increase of about a fifth in spending over the past decade.
She believes private investment could be increased, and she wants to make sure that European innovation, such as the technology behind the MP3 player, is used to create jobs in the EU rather than in the US as has happened.
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