It's crucial for Europe as a continent to once more become the leader in the fields of advanced technology and industry - said Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki during the opening of the European Forum for Science, Research and Innovation in Dresden, Germany.
"Research and innovation are among key priorities of my government" – said Morawiecki.
The European Forum for Science, Research and Innovation was organised by the government of Saxony, Helmholtz Association, in cooperation with the European Researc Council.
The event was also attended by the Bundestag President Wolfgang Schaeuble, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, as well as the Minister President of Saxony Michael Kretschmer.
In his speech Morawiecki underscored that Germany is one of Poland's most important political and economic partners. "We cooperate closely in the EU and NATO which can constitute a reference point for our countries," the prime minister said. He added that both countries are bound with many social and cultural ties which are particularly strong in border regions.
He also said that the bilateral Polish-German dialogue is set within a special context connected with important historical anniversaries that are celebrated in 2019. He mentioned the 75th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising outbreak, the 80th anniversary of the WWII outbreak and the 30th anniversary of democratic transformation in Eastern and Central Europe.
Morawiecki also said that during the recent European election a large group of European voters "expressed their discouragement with the EU's future direction". "Such calls came from both right and left side of political spectrum, thus there is a strong democratic mandate to readjust the future of Europe," he said.
At the same time he underscored that Poland, being an experienced EU member-state, is constantly articulating its vision of the EU. "Poland wants to continue to play an active part in searching for solutions for our common European challenges," he said. In this regard, he added that Poland "presented constructive inputs in the pan-European debate on the future of the EU, on a broad range of topics, such as the single market, in particular, the freedom to provide services, digital agenda, defense, climate change, migration and the role of national parliaments".
"We should not lose sight of a wider landscape of challenges ahead of Europe and remember that observing the horizon of the future is our duty," he emphasised. Among those challenges, Morawiecki listed the no-deal Brexit, EU enlargement regarding Western-Balkan countries and the transatlantic cooperation. He also spoke about the need for sober assessment of fundamental challenges for the West, coming from other powers like China, India or the USA.
Polish PM stressed the importance of Europe as a continent once more becoming the leader in the fields of advanced technology and industry.
He added that "maybe some German companies still are leaders but Europe as a whole is probably not".
Morawiecki said that "the EU should establish the European Innovations Strategy that will define a program to expand approach to strategic value chains". "Ranging from hydrogen and other storage technologies, artificial intelligence, performance computing, internet of things, cybersecurity, 5G, space technologies, 3D printing and 3D technologies or smart health," he listed.
In Morawiecki's opinion, the European Forum for Science, Research and Innovation is a manifestation of future-oriented thinking. "Research and innovation are among key priorities of my government," he said in his speech.
Before the conference, Morawiecki met with Schauble and Kretschmer.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP