Read the article and write down an abstract.

The inconsistent Europe 2020 and research strategy

Ramon Marimon

12 June 2015

The European Parliament is currently in talks over new ways to fund research. This column argues that unless the current proposal is changed, funding for research in social sciences will almost completely disappear from the main ‘cooperative research’ (now ‘Societal Challenges’) programme.

The European Parliament and EU member states are now discussing the Framework Programme (2014–2020), proposed by the European Commission. Unless the current text is properly amended, funding for research in social sciences will almost completely disappear from the main ‘cooperative research’ (now ‘Societal Challenges’) programme. But I argue that the growth and governance of the European Union is a ‘Societal Challenge’ in need of excellent socio-political and economic research.

The Europe 2020 strategy sets four priorities: three on growth (it must be ‘smart’, ‘sustainable’ and ‘inclusive’) and one on economic governance. It also sets five targets: on employment, on R& D and innovation, on climate change and energy, on education, and on poverty and social exclusion. The new Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014–2020) – proposed by the European Commission (Council of the European Union, 2 December 2011) and now under discussion – should, in itself, help to attain one of these targets (R& D and innovation), and it also assigns 38.5% of its proposed? 87, 749.402 million to fund research that “responds directly to the policy priorities and societal challenges identified in the Europe 2020 strategy”.

Europe 2020 priorities and targets are, to a large extent, socioeconomic and political issues. They are also complex and difficult to attain. Today, the European Union, far from being “the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world (…) with a 3% expenditure on R& D over GDP by 2010” (Lisbon 2000 and Barcelona 2002), is not yet even in the aftermath of its main crisis.

The same European Commission forecasts that “real GDP is expected to stagnate in the EU and to shrink by 0.3% in the euro area in 2012, ” (European Commission 2012a) and the EU has had to change many rules of the game while trying to survive the crisis:

The monetary union has changed, since the ECB is no longer just following its ‘price stability’ mandate; and

The new Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance(see European Council 2012) opens the door to a new form of fiscal union.

Traditional forms of welfare states which characterised ‘the Eurpean model’ are under threat by the same fiscal restraint that the new treaty imposes – in particular, the targets on education and on poverty and social exclusion are far from trivial in the new framework. The European Union and Eurozone governance are being questioned by the crisis, in that the main decisions have been intergovernmental more than ‘communautaire’, with a German lead more than a European Commission or European Parliament lead. The same national parliaments have seen their powers eroded, while the need to ‘save the financial sector’ has taken priority, and Europe is reaching record times in unemployment levels, the threat of major social conflicts, and loss of power in the world. The phantom of a euro breakup still has not disappeared.

With these lofty aims set against the dismal reality, one would expect the European Commission to be calling upon the best social scientists to better understand what is happening and how to achieve ‘smart, sustainable and inclusive growth’ in this context. Instead, research funding for social sciences and humanities has basically disappeared from the main cooperative research programme.

According to the new Framework Programme, the six Societal Challenges are:

Health, demographic change, and wellbeing;

Food security, sustainable agriculture, marine and maritime research, and the bio-economy;

Secure, clean and efficient energy;

Smart, green, and integrated transport;

Climate action, resource efficiency and raw materials, and

Inclusive, innovative and secure societies.

One can even agree that these are among the challenges that Europe does face (I will not go into details here) and that, as the European Commission concedes “social sciences and humanities research is an important element for addressing all of the challenges” (European Commission 2011). However, the same closed list, and the supporting role given to social sciences research, read as a research agenda for a Europe that has already resolved its current socioeconomic and political crisis and is in an advanced stage of smart transport and climate action – a most wishful Brussels perspective…

Unfortunately, I am not surprised by this wishful thinking by European Commission. Let me provide a couple of somewhat personal final remarks. When I was chairing the committee to evaluate the financial mechanisms of Framework Programme 6, I asked the Director General of DG Research why there was almost no funding for research on employment issues. He replied that this was what the member states had decided. I felt trapped, since as Spanish Secretary of State for Science and Technological Policy I had been not only responsible for the Spanish position, but also for the FP6 negotiations between the European Commission, Council, and Parliament. But I understood the trap. In discussing all the long EC documents, there was always something more urgent, for example, whether to provide funding for stem-cell research.

In the autumn of 2008 I joined the Expert Advisory Group for Socioeconomic Sciences and Humanities, whose task was to advise DG Research in the drafting of the corresponding Work Programmes, which for the first time included main ‘challenges’. The first thing I said was: if ours had been a Life Sciences Advisory Group in the middle of a global viral plague, the spotlights would have been on us for having provided so little funding for research on the virus. However, being social scientists maybe no one would check on us in the middle of the main financial crisis since the 1930s. Fortunately, FP7 permitted the introduction of the issue as a ‘challenge’ in the 2011 calls. But even in 2009 one had to strongly argue that ‘the future of macro-economic and monetary integration in Europe’ was a ‘challenge’, to finally see it recognised as a ‘collaborative project’ (small- or medium-scale focused research project) in the 2011 calls.

I am no longer an expert advisor for DG Research, but I can see that FP8 (also called Horizon 2020) moves a step further away from the focus on socioeconomic research with its six Societal Challenges. If approved in its current format, it will not even be possible to address Europe’s main socioeconomic and political challenges, even if they are part of the Euro 2020 strategy, or among the main concerns of European citizens (e.g. unemployment). Fortunately, the best social scientists understand the importance of these issues and in the end FP8 may finance the corresponding research through the European Research Council (16.1% of the proposed PF8 budget, i.e. less than half of Societal Challenges). But then, if the menu of Societal Challenges is not changed, probably the best move would be to substantially increase the funding for “excellent social sciences and humanities research, ” at the expense of the current Societal Challenges budget. I am confident this will stimulate excellent research – beyond what the current Horizon 2020 envisions – on a particular Societal Challenge called “the growth and governance of the European Union”.

Text 7

Points

Read the following information and complete the task. Write about 100–120 words.

Credo

You are the CEO of a small company and are thinking about writing a credo for your company.

Look at your notes below.

Use all your notes to write a draft credo to discuss at your next board meeting.

Notes

We want to make a profit, pay dividends and protect the investment of shareholders.

Protect the environment.

Take care of employees.

Be good employers.

Help the people in places where we operate.

Taxes.

Equal opportunity.

Job security.

Products.

Customers.

ВАРИАНТ 2

Text 1

Points

Questions 1–7

Look at the statements below and the extracts from an article on work placements.

Which section (A, B, C or D) does each statement 1–7 refer to?

For each statement 1–7 mark one letter (A, B, C or D).

You will need to use some of these letters more than once.

1 The employer should offer their opinion on how successful a student has been on the placement.

2 You might have to do many different tasks.

3 There are many advantages for students doing a work placement.

4 Doing a work placement will make you more attractive to future employers.

5 You can watch how one person does their work.

6 It is better for a company to employ someone they know already.

7 Doing an internship can help you check if you have chosen the most appropriate career.

A There are many benefits if you do a work placement or internship. You will have the opportunity to practise your skills in the workplace and you can test your career plans to see if you have made the right decision. You can make contacts for the future, if you make a good impression. You will learn how to take responsibility for your work and how to behave in an environment which is different from being a student. A work placement also enhances the look of your CV (many jobs are unavailable to those with no experience) – and, of course, you'll earn some money.

B Employers can also benefit from work placements. Students have up-to-date knowledge and skills which can be put to good use on a project. Students are often highly motivated and work hard, and staff and students learn from each other as they do their work tasks. If a student works really well, the employer can offer them a full time job with less risk than with an unknown person. The student will be familiar with the organization and its unwritten rules and will fit in better than someone who is completely new.

C There are different kinds of work placements. ‘Work shadowing’ means following someone around as they do their work to see how they do it. A general role will mean being involved in many different aspects of work in a department or company and learning how a wide range of things work in the organisation. Taking on a specific role on a project or in a department is more like having a real job and you will probably be responsible for a specific area of work.

D The most important quality the employer is looking for is attitude. When you approach an employer for a work placement you must show that you are enthusiastic and willing to learn. This is more important than previous experience. You will be able to learn from any work experience but it is best to apply for a role which you are interested in and in which you can offer the employer some benefit. You should also expect the employer to assess your work and to offer you a written appraisal of how you performed in such areas as meeting deadlines and dealing with your workload.

Text 2

Points

Questions 8–12

Read the article below about Global Volunteers.

Choose the best sentence from A–E below to fill each of the gaps.

For each question 8–12, mark one letter.

Do not use any letter more than once.

Are you bored with the nine to five routine? Are you looking for a new challenge? (8) ____ If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these, then you are who we are looking for.

We need enthusiastic, qualified and passionate people of all ages to work with us to help in the developing world. We send volunteers all over the world on one-year placements to train local people in your skills. When you return home, your skills remain and enrich the lives of the people you worked with – how’s that for job satisfaction? (9) ____

We need experts in many different sectors – from accountancy to project management to teaching. You will receive a local salary and housing, as well as flights and medical insurance. And we aren’t just looking for professional skills. Your personal integrity, strength and fitness are important, as well. (10) ____ Working closely with local people, you will find the experience extremely satisfying, and you will return home having really achieved something.

This is a really exciting opportunity. You’ll be able to test yourself and your knowledge in demanding conditions. (11) ____

When you return home you’ll find employers really take a positive attitude to these experiences on your CV. You’ll be seen as being more mature and responsible. (12) ____

A Your investment in the lives of the people you work with will be an investment in yourself.

B You’ll really find out what your strengths and weaknesses are.

C This is an opportunity for you to work with a passion, where you can make a real difference.

D Would you like to make a valuable contribution in an underprivileged area of the world?

E You will be working in difficult situations which are physically demanding.

Text 3

Read and translate the text

Points

Being a customer service advisor in a call centre in India is not sweatshop work. It is highly skilled and not easy to do well. Advisors need to be educated and able to master complex areas such as motor insurance and to be able to deal with many different English accents. Not everyone can cope with this. Some just learn the standard responses and repeat these without real understanding and this causes problems when something unusual or difficult occurs.

Compared with working conditions in other industries in India, the working environment in call centres is extremely good and the wages are high. There is fierce competition for jobs and the best companies attract the best people. Advisors often see working in a call centre as a step up the corporate ladder to a management position or to another job, having worked on their language and customer care skills. Having dealt with the high pressure of taking non-stop calls from the UK in the middle of the night, advisors have proved themselves capable of dealing with a heavy workload.

The job is not an easy one but then many jobs are difficult. Compared with coal mining or industrial manufacturing, the kind of pressures are completely different and different people can cope with different pressures.

Working in a call centre is not just answering the phone. It’s being able to cope with many different problems and situations. It is a real skill to be able to sound patient and understanding with equally stressed customers who many have been on hold for a long time and who are calling because they have a problem which needs to be solved.

Often the targets of takeovers are smaller and more innovative companies which have unique technology that the larger company wants or needs. By acquiring such companies, the larger company can save R& D costs, have access to innovation and stay competitive.

Companies often try to buy rivals who are operating in different markets or sectors, to increase the reach and size of the company. It is an easy way to enter a new market and avoids all of the costs involved in building up market share. Larger companies can also raise capital more easily than small companies, and with cheaper money can expand even more.

Acquisitions are paid for in cash, stock or a combination of both – a premium of about 10% on the current share price of the takeover target is reasonable. Companies are generally more careful of valuations when cash is involved and less so when the deal is made on the basis of shares. The dream of every investment banker is to be involved in a takeover battle when two or more companies are bidding to buy a third. In such a situation of bid and counter bid there are huge fees to be made as advisors.

Text 4

Points

Read the article and write down the review using the patterns below:

1) The headline of the article is... (The article is headlined..., The headline of the article I've read is...)

2) The author of the article is...

3) The article is taken from the newspaper...

4) The central idea of the article is about... (The main idea of the article is... the article is devoted to... the article deals with... the article touches upon... the purpose of the article is to give the reader some information on... the aim of the article is to provide a reader with some material on...)

5). Speak on the conclusion the author comes to.

6). Express your own point of view on the problem discussed..

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