On 18 December 2023, the Council adopted recommendations aimed at establishing a European framework to attract and retain research, innovation, and entrepreneurial talents in Europe. These recommendations, including the revised Charter and Code for Researchers, will contribute to ERA priority action 4, which focuses on promoting attractive and sustainable research careers. While recognising the significant work undertaken by the European Commission (EC), LERU still holds specific concerns that merit attention.
LERU acknowledges and applauds the dedicated efforts of the European Commission in developing these instruments. Appreciation is also extended for the EC’s responsiveness to concerns expressed by us and other stakeholders, which resulted in minor adjustments in the text and, more significantly, in the modifications incorporated in recommendation 12e. The amendment of point 41 (formerly point 40 in the July 2023 version), underscoring the importance of the Research and Innovation Careers Observatory (ReICO) in linking to existing data to reduce administrative burdens for Member States and stakeholders, is also met with appreciation.
While recognising these positive modifications as evidence of a clear engagement to collaborative policymaking, the core messages conveyed in our previous press release, “A toolbox is not enough,” remain unaffected by these textual adjustments. A comprehensive strategy, beyond the toolkit, is essential to address the multi-layered challenges faced by research and innovation, and our message on the need for a cohesive and decisive approach to foster talent in Europe is more relevant than ever.
Policy fragmentation and the non-committal nature of the recommendations
LERU’s concerns regarding policy fragmentation and the non-committal nature of the recommendations persist and are accentuated by a noticeable softening of language in the current text, compared to the previous version released in July. Noteworthy is the transition, in some cases, to more conditional terms like “could”, instead of “should”, as well as the inclination toward words like “encourage” and “provide” rather than the previously used “ensure” and “guarantee”, when outlining the responsibilities of Member States. Such a linguistic shift raises concerns, particularly in the context of recruiting and working conditions for researchers. Furthermore, the reference to “binding commitments” in relation to the new governance framework of the ERA Talent Platform (see point 33, formerly point 32 in the July 2023 version) has been completely omitted, unequivocally underscoring the Commission’s inclination towards a more soft and voluntary approach.
In light of these observations, LERU maintains a justified scepticism regarding the efficacy and implementation of the current recommendations. The conviction remains that relying on a blend of goodwill and soft coercion towards Member States will yield nothing but increased frustration. The absence of a European labour market for researchers, coupled with local regulations on academic careers that differ in every Member State, pose significant obstacles that the Council recommendations fail to address. No concrete steps have been proposed to eliminate these national barriers to mobility. Instead, Member States seem to be avoiding their responsibility and perpetuating an unwanted status quo, by prioritising their local autonomy over the European objectives they pay lip service to. This approach is hindering progress, and LERU calls on the EC to take a proactive coordinating role, facilitating the development of efficient, top-down overarching measures for Member States to identify and eliminate local barriers.
Precariousness of researchers as a direct consequence of the precariousness of funding
In relation to the critical issue of precarity, aside from the modification in point 12e, where the maximum for fixed term contracts has been discarded, this complex issue and its link to funding are not properly addressed in the Council recommendations. A broader discussion on the funding ecosystem remains essential to effectively foster meaningful change.
The instrumental role of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion agenda
While appreciating the EC’s longstanding commitment to tackling persistent inequalities in research careers, LERU urges the EC to articulate a more robust approach to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). The issues are well-known and acknowledged. It is now crucial for all actors in the research and innovation ecosystem to ensure that their actions truly drive impact. Rather than introducing additional new initiatives, we recommend the EC take a fresh look at existing measures such as the inclusive Gender Equality Plans, with a view to enhancing their impact. We believe a rigorous assessment mechanism will be a great improvement in this regard. If new measures are to be developed, collaboration with stakeholder communities will remain pivotal in order to ensure that their expertise, perspectives and needs continue to guide the EC’s agenda to the benefit of the European research community. In particular, new European-level measures such as ReiCO, must be designed with the EDI agenda in mind, mirroring the comprehensive successful approach taken with the revised Charter and Code for Researchers. Recognising the EDI agenda as a key component is instrumental in addressing the complexities of nurturing attractive and sustainable research careers in Europe.
In conclusion, LERU acknowledges the EC’s responsiveness to specific stakeholders’ comments, but the overall approach they have been following has not changed. Creating a toolbox and recommending its use could be useful, but it is not going to solve the fundamental issues that haunt researchers and research institutions. We need to look beyond the toolbox, collectively, because, as Prof. Bert Overlaet (former Director of Human Resources at KU Leuven and Chair of the LERU Careers of Researchers & HR Policy Group) stated back in September:
“The responsibility for attractive research careers in Europe cannot be assigned only at the institutions. Universities need real and active engagement from their member states on career topics, both in terms of regulations and funding. And we do need a much stronger coordination effort at the European level to overcome structural barriers hindering research careers in Europe.”