Joint Statement of the European Science and Innovation Policy Councils

With their joint statement, the European Science and Innovation Councils want to emphasise the importance of bringing together complementary strategies to jointly attract STEM talent from outside Europe.

VARIO (Flemish Council for Innovation Entrepreneurship), together with AWTI (Council for Science, Technology and Innovation, the Netherlands), took the initiative for this joint statement to emphasise the urgency of tackling the shortage of skilled workers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. If we want to achieve all of Europe’s goals, for example those relating to the triple transition, then we need many more people with these specific skills. In the statement, we also emphasise that it is also beneficial for the least developed countries to attract STEM talents to Europe if these talents return to their own countries after some time.

Currently, eight organisations, including FORWIT, from the Netherlands, Portugal, Denmark and Belgium have signed the statement. The statement will be forwarded to the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Council and other relevant bodies.