Eight years after its first launch, and three years after its re-launch, the fate of the Lisbon strategy still lies between success and failure. And a clear and resolute evolution towards an integrated European Research Area is not yet visible.

The construction of ERA is not a goal in itself, but an important roadway to the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy in the research domain. Hence policies conducive to ERA – which require a drive towards policy internationalisation - will need increased strength in view of the challenges of the re-launched Lisbon strategy. Rather than taking a narrow “free space for research” perspective, the focus needs to be placed on an integrated “European Knowledge Area”.

The “Follow up of the Lisbon strategy” expert group (LEG) carried out an analysis of the research, technology and innovation dimension of Member States’ National Reform Programmes (NRPs) and Progress Reports (PRs), in the light of the Lisbon and European Research Area (ERA) objectives. Several important issues such as the international dimension of R&D and innovation, the new, open mode of innovation, the need for policies to address the demand-side of R&D and innovation as well as the supply-side, etc. have not been sufficiently recognised in the Member States’ NRPs and PRs. And these also demonstrate a lack of commitment to European level objectives. There is also limited evidence of the use of strategic intelligence to link policy goals to measures and instruments: the overall approach and focus of the NRPs and PRs is still mainly on administrative implementation rather than on strategic policy governance processes.

From this analysis, LEG identified key challenges related to governance of research and innovation policies and provides recommendations for more efficient knowledge policies in the framework of Lisbon and ERA goals.
The main message from LEG is that governance weakness is becoming a key bottleneck preventing the advancement in knowledge policies in Europe. Policy makers at the national and regional levels are faced with a difficult dilemma – how to design effective policies which are both serving the interests of their constituencies and helping Europe reach Lisbon and ERA objectives.