I will be attending the Competitiveness Council in Luxembourg on 25 June.

The council will be chaired by Annette Schavan, German Federal Minister for Research and Education.

The first item on the agenda is the proposal for a regulation establishing the European Institute of Technology. This proposal will be put for a council general approach. While the UK is generally content with the way in which the EIT proposal has evolved, the financial aspects of the proposal need to be dealt with satisfactorily.

The next item on the agenda is on knowledge transfer. The council will adopt conclusions on a communication from the Commission on knowledge transfer and a presidency initiative for a charter for the management of intellectual property from public research institutions and universities. The UK supports the need for better knowledge transfer between universities and business, in line with the Lambert review.

This will be followed by the adoption of council conclusions on a report from the Scientific and Technical Research Committee (CREST) on “how to make better co-ordinated use of structural funds and the Framework Programme to support R&D”. The UK supports the co-ordinated use of these major EU funding programmes in support of the Lisbon agenda.

The next item on the agenda is a Green Paper on the future of the European research area. There will be an exchange of views on this. The UK considers future EU research policy to be an important component of the Lisbon strategy and supports the consultation on the Green Paper.

Eight items will be taken under any other business:

proposal for a council regulation on a joint technology initiative;

“Clean Sky” (presentation by the Commission);

proposal for a council regulation on a joint technology initiative;

“ENIAC” (presentation by the Commission);

future Commission proposal on Article 169 Initiative AAL (Information on the state of play);

future Commission proposal on Article 169 Initiative Euro STARS (Information on the state of play);

Euro-Med Education and Research Ministers Conference (Information from the presidency);

proposal for a directive on restrictions on the marketing of certain measuring devices containing mercury (Information from the presidency); and

work programme of the incoming presidency (Information from the Portuguese delegation).