Time for EUropeans to get their act together and be consistent!

According to my fellow European tweeter @peresuau, the new 2012 Spanish budget: (includes) a 25% drop in research and education and a 34% in R&D projects. He calls it a big mistake.

My comments:

While I have argued, when the Europe 2020 (see 1) the official European Commission pages on it and 2) my submission to the public call for comments that preceded the finalisation of the "strategy" (long post) on January 15, 2010) (1) that R&D, especially academic one, is not the panacea that will save the EU economy or the only or even main way to innovation or entrepreneurship by EU companies, I cannot but note the inconsistency between the Merkozian Fiscal Compact and the EU2020 "growth strategy" to which the Spanish case serves as a great case study!

Isn't that drop in Spanish R&D a violation of the EU2020 growth strategy/plan?

In addition to the current sacrifices, which include salaries, pensions, potentially the European Social Model, what else will be sacrificed due to EU leaders' (at this time mostly conservatives) inability to stand up to the global finance "bully", be it for  ideological (German ordoliberalism or classic or neo liberalism) or other reasons (see Max Weber work of the spirit of capitalism)?

Who can blame Spanish and other researchers if they move to other Euzozone or EU states or the US to seek work and "research content"?  Of course who should blame any citizen of Spain, Portugal, Italy or Greece who is moving to Germany or the UK practicing one of the core freedoms the EU was based on (mobility)? Well, to my surprise  in the spirit of nationalism and anti-EUism that is string around the EU27 nowadays, some do or even make fun of!

Europe - the EU must get its act together ASAP. The result in France on May 6 may help. But it won't be enough. And yes, intellectuals have to do their part, in a world and Europe that needs to rethink and redefine its values, its common senses, its golden rules, its paradigms, its narratives, etc etc etc. Just do it!


(1) By the way, can the European Commision at least decide if it's EU2020 or Europe2020? The Com doc that we commented on referred to a EU2020 Strategy. I see that the European Commission pages refer to Europe 2020!