Bulgaria to Ask for Derogation from R&D Target

''The EU target is 3%. We think it should be between 1.4% and 2%,'' Economy Minister Traicho Traikov said after a cabinet meeting on 5 May. Photo by BGNES

EurActiv.com

Bulgaria will try to reduce the target of investing 3% of GDP in research and development (R&D) established by the 'Europe 2020' strategy – or at least the impoverished country will aim to reduce its national share, writes Dnevnik, EurActiv's partner publication in Bulgaria.

Following discussions held by the Bulgarian government, it has become clear that Bulgaria has no resources to meet the 3% target. This is what the country's prime minister, Boyko Borissov, will tell his counterparts at an EU summit on 18-19 June, when the EU's new research and innovation strategy will be negotiated, Dnevnik writes.

''The EU target is 3%. We think it should be between 1.4% and 2%,'' Economy Minister Traicho Traikov said after a cabinet meeting on 5 May. This view was adopted as the government's position for the upcoming EU summit, where Bulgaria will negotiate from the position of worst performer in the fields of innovation, investment and competitiveness.

At present, just 0.15% of GDP in Bulgaria is spent on R&D.

''We cannot figure out how we could increase the financing of R&D to more than 0.6%,'' stated Education Minister Sergey Ignatov after the same cabinet meeting.

Bulgaria expects the EU budget to provide some help in increasing R&D expenditure. At present, €39 million is available for Bulgaria under the operational programmes 'Competitiveness' and 'Human Resources Development'. However, in these particular fields, Bulgaria's absorption capacity proved to be extremely low.

Bulgaria has its own national innovation fund, designed to assist enterprises in the fields of research and innovation. However, the last call for projects took place in 2008 and no selection procedures have been organised for 2009 or 2010.

'New culture' needed for R&D

Another challenge for the Bulgarian authorities is to create incentives for businesses to participate more actively in R&D activities.

''This means we should introduce a new culture in our country, although I cannot see for the next ten years by what miracle this could take place,'' Ignatov is quoted as saying.

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