Euro Science Open Forum 2018 – Horizon Europe Panel | Speech | European Commission

"Maria Leptin, Angela Bellia,

Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning! I was fortunate to be at ESOF two years ago in Manchester. So it is wonderful to be back. I’m also delighted to be in France again. I’ve always had a very special relationship with France. In fact, Toulouse was the first place I ever travelled to outside of Portugal. That was years ago when I was in my early twenties. And that was just the beginning. Eventually I lived and worked here. I got married here. And France is where I’ve made some of my best friends. So I really feel at home here. But today I want to talk to you about the future. About our new framework programme: Horizon Europe. Horizon Europe must be more than a science programme; it needs to be the cornerstone for a new ‘social contract’ between citizens, governments and science. In his book The Social Contract, Jean-Jacques Rousseau said that the monarchy did not have a natural right to power. The people had that right. And so only the people are sovereign. Authority is not just something to be taken. It comes from a social contract agreed by the people. Today, we need a new social contract between citizens, governments and science...."