The European Commission is expected to present its proposal for a European Research Area (ERA) Act later this year. In anticipation, the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) has adopted a motion for a resolution, accompanied by a set of questions to the Commission, setting out key priorities for the upcoming instrument.
A commitment to the free circulation of scientific knowledge
The motion, initiated by MEP Eszter Lakos (EPP), underlines that completing the ERA requires the removal of existing barriers to the free circulation of scientific knowledge — a position COMMUNIA has consistently advocated. By explicitly linking the success of the ERA to the ability of knowledge to circulate freely across borders, the Parliament sends a strong political signal ahead of the Commission proposal.
Adopted with a considerable majority, the motion sets the tone for the legislative debate to come. It calls for a robust commitment to freedom of research, supports harmonisation through a regulation rather than a directive, and reiterates the EU’s research investment target of 3% of GDP. Crucially, it also emphasises the need to realise the “fifth freedom”: the free movement of research, innovation and knowledge within the EU.
Two measures to make the “fifth freedom” a reality
For COMMUNIA, this objective is central to the 2024–2029 mandate. Our proposal for a Digital Knowledge Act outlines targeted legislative measures to unlock the full potential of universities, research organisations and other knowledge institutions, ensuring that knowledge can move as freely as goods, services, capital and people.
To complete the ERA and make the “fifth freedom” a reality, the ERA Act must include at least two essential measures:
- a Union-wide secondary publication right; and
- a general, mandatory scientific research exception with cross-border effect, applicable to both institutional and non-institutional users.
Only with these structural reforms can the EU overcome persistent legal fragmentation and build a truly integrated European Research Area. COMMUNIA has submitted concrete legislative proposals as part of the Commission’s consultations on the ERA Act (see our contributions to the impact assessment and the public consultation). We welcome MEP Lakos’s initiative and stand ready to work with the European Parliament to ensure that this instrument delivers on its promise to strengthen and future-proof European research.
