LONDON (Reuters) - Europe's leading scientists criticized the European Union's science policies Tuesday, calling for reforms and more funding to curb further brain drain to the United States.

"It is important to realize that the United States is dramatically more successful than the EU in attracting young talents at the post-doc (post-doctoral) level from all parts of the world," the presidents of 10 European science academies said in a letter to the European Council of EU leaders. [...]

"Government budgets will have to be raised (or in some cases continue to be raised) at a pace commensurable to what we have seen in the United States and Japan," the letter said.

The United States spent 2.7 percent of its 2000 budget on research and development and Japan 3.0 percent, while EU nations have lagged behind since the mid-1990s, according to OECD data.

The U.S. government also plans to increase spending by more than 20 percent over the 2001-03 period, and Japan's budget has also been expanded, the letter said, adding, "No corresponding dynamism is visible generally throughout Europe, although there are exceptions like the United Kingdom."

The EU should copy the U.S. university system and become more open, efficient and flexible, letting government spending focus on basic research and leaving the business sector to take care of development and applied research, it said. [...]