100 posts
How can we make Europe more competitive?
The question of how to make Europe more “competitive” has come up several times on Debating Europe. Some of you blame the Euro for creating “massive imbalances in terms of competitiveness” between EU member-states (and suggest...
What is the EU doing for growth and jobs?
The European Council has repeatedly endorsed and called for a Digital Single Market, as well as other growth reforms. This quote comes from the conclusions 9 December 2011 (EUCO 139/11; page 1, point 2): Recalling the key priority areas for growth it...
Europe's Digital Competitiveness Report 2010
Competitiveness is as important as sustainable public finances for the member states of the European Union. Indeed, growth and jobs are key to higher revenue, less expenditure and better budget balance. Information and communication technology (ICT)...
Denmark: Competitiveness challenges
After Productive and sustainable Denmark as seen by the World Economic Forum (WEF), we look at what Denmark has planned in order to become even more innovative and competitive, in line with the aims of Europe 2020 strategy (EU2020) for smart, sustain...
Productive and sustainable Denmark
Three magic words: competitiveness, productivity, prosperity. Studying innovative and competitive independent countries, or states of the USA, much of the Europe 2020 growth strategy (EU2020) is about learning from the best. Before turning to the WEF...
EU2020: Learning from the best
After the series about the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), I reported the publication of a new Digital Agenda for Sweden and then took a first look at policy outcomes in Denmark in the light of the competitiveness, growth a...
EU2020 and WEF: Competitiveness
Just as the Europe 2020 strategy (EU2020) aims for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, the World Economic Forum (WEF) is increasingly trying to actually measure or assess ”quality growth”, especially sustainable growth. The 527 pages of the...
A Digital Agenda for Sweden
On 6 October 2011 the government published an integrated IT strategy inspired by the Digital Agenda for Europe 2010-2020, which is a part of the EU2020 growth strategy: A Digital Agenda for Sweden. In English we find the government newletter: Sweden...
European Central Bank offers economic policy advice
Eurozone woes seem to be going nowhere, but there are different angles regarding the causes and remedies. The blog post Economic policy making becomes challenging mentioned the latest reports from the European Commission: Directorate-General for Econ...
WEF: PIIGS competitiveness rankings
Thinking about the long term prospects for the eurozone and its members. The World Economic Forum offers us fresh insight. The Global Competitiveness Index 2011-2012 rankings for the so called PIIGS are (out of 142 countries and territories): Portuga...
Wealth of Nations roundup
Competitiveness is at the heart of living standards and the quality of life, so our previous compilation of blog posts was a European ICT competitiveness roundup. Here are the last July 2011 additions, which bring more European and global elements to...
USA and EU falling behind in innovation and competitiveness
We have seen that the European trade associations for businesses offering ICT goods and services want pan-European regulation. The industry players have lined up behind the Digital Agenda, including the Digital Single Market, expecting the politician...
Business leaders boost the European Dream
After our European ICT competitiveness roundup it seems natural to take a closer look at the hopes and expectations of European corporate leaders with regard to the future of the EU.Some people doubt the usefulness of social media, but I beg to diffe...
Nordic ICT competitiveness (INSEAD and WEF)
The tenth GITR from INSEAD and the World Economic Forum (WEF)was practically global, covering the ICT competitiveness of 138 countries or territories: Soumitra Dutta, INSEAD, and Irene Mia, World Economic Forum (editors): The Global Information Techn...
Building the EU Digital Agenda – Competitiveness Report 2009
The Digital Competitiveness Report 2009 was one of the main building blocks of what became the EU2020 flagship initiative A Digital Agenda for Europe. We return to the communication and some relevant blog posts. The Digital Competitiveness Report 200...
In Defense of Decadent Europe: Is it “the best place on Earth to be born”?
“The European Union is great. It is the best place on Earth to be born and to live your life.” – Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk, 1 July 2011 For those of us involved in European affairs, it has … Continue reading →...
Securing Europe’s future: At its foundation Europe’s crisis is one of competitiveness, not debt
By Ariane Poulain The response to the Greek crisis is still unfolding but regardless of whether the solution includes another bailout package and/or reprofiling, investment in areas that will ensure long-term competitiveness for Europe cannot –...
EU2020: Sweden from Broadband strategy to Digital agenda
If the European Union wants the Europe 2020 (EU 2020) growth strategy to counter the decline in competitiveness, one of the places to look is Sweden, which successfully combines economic progress and social inclusion. One of the seven flagship initia...
The cheap, hard or smart way to EUrope?
In view of Angela Merkel's recent comments re South Europe, some thoughts:Work cheap, work hard or work smart? Which is Europe's key competitiveness problem (other than the uber hard Euro)?There are many biases (incl philosophical) in the way dominan...
Stability, convergence and EU2020 compliance: EU member states and Commission
The spring meeting of the European Council 24 to 25 March 2011 (EUCO 10/11, paragraph 2 and footnote 1) outlined the the next steps within the framework of the European semester and endorsed the the priorities for fiscal consolidation and structural...
”Wide ownership” of Europe 2020 strategy – and more intense
The European Union and the EU member states have programmes for competitiveness in and of Europe, but the Europe 2020 growth strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth (EU2020) and the relaunch of the Single Market (through the Single Marke...
EU Council: Official and informal meetings (Competitiveness)
The official meetings of the Council of the European Union are the tip of the iceberg, although EU citizens in general are not well informed about how the Council works. Even less known among the wider public are the informal (unofficial) gatherings...
Europe 2020: National Reform Programmes posted
Yesterday we noted that the Stability or Convergance programmes and National Reform Programmes 2011 from Belgium, Bulgaria, Hungary and Finland had been posted on the web pages of DG Economic and Financial Affairs (Ecfin) of the European Commission.
Where are the European and Nordic showcases?
If you ever been to Shanghai, the feeling that the future is already there might have struck you – the dynamics of the city is a mixture of dynamic atmosphere, European architecture and Asian hi-tech. Shanghai is not like the … Continue r...
European Council blogging: Part Five (11042011)
Previous round-ups of my blog entries were published in Part One, with articles posted 25 and 26 March, and Part Two, which took us from 27 to 29 March 2011.Part Three linked to blog posts published from 30 March to 1 April, and Part Four presented e...
EU Tripartite Social Summit 24 March 2011
Today, just before the European Council, the European social partners are meeting the representatives of the European Union (European Council, Commission, Hungarian presidency of the Council) for the dialogue known as the Tripartite Social Summit. Th...
The real Europe 2020 summit?
In a few days, the political leaders of the EU member states meet to assess progress towards the strategic economic goals of the European Union and to inspire improved performance on the reform trail. This is the first spring European Council during...
EU2020 strategy: European Parliament feels abandoned
On 17 February 2011 the European Parliament adopted a resolution 'Europe 2020' (P7_TA(2011)0068), which had been tabled by the EPP, S&D, ALDE, Greens/ALE and ECR groups.In the larger context of the the Commission communication 'Europe 2020' and the E...
EU EPSCO and Competitiveness Council: Annual Growth Survey is cornerstone
You can discuss with @ronpatz on Twitter under #Eupilot and follow him blogging live from the EU Competitiveness Council on the Bloggingportal.eu blog. In order to structure our thinking I have posted two entries today on the Europe 2020 (#EU2020) th...
Competition for the competitiveness pact
On Monday, we had a scoop on a new effort by the European Union’s two presidents, José Manuel Barroso and Herman Van Rompuy, to revive a “pact for competitiveness” – an economic coordination scheme among the 17 eurozone countries that would...
Competitiveness Pact: Lisbon Agenda II?
Franco-German plans for a Competitiveness pact, which were put forward at the last EU summit have been met with great skepticism but done right, they could help address key areas of structural weaknesses. After all, European leaders have wasted almos...
Euro Update (16): Mario Monti and the feckless Franco-German Pact for Competitiveness
From left to right, the last panel at yesterday’s Policy Network “What future for Europe?” event was a gathering of eminences. Sitting in a row, Nadia Calvino, Lazlo Andor, Vince Cable, Peter Mandelson, Mario Monti and Dieter Helm t...
Innovation gap widens; Sweden, Denmark rank top
When it comes to innovation, the European Union still leads India and Russia, but Brazil is making steady progress and China is catching up quickly, according to latest figures released by the European Commission. Sweden ranks top in innovation,...
EU Single Market Act varia
Since the Grahnlaw blog post EU Commission: Internal market reform (9 December 2010), I have actually been busy writing about the internal market or single market, although on my other blogs and partly in other languages. Here is a summary of the lat...
Europe 2020 strategy leadership and communication: State of the art or lying in state?
The seven flagship initiatives promised by the European Commission under the Europe 2020 (EU2020) strategy were Innovation Union, Youth on the move, A digital agenda for Europe, Resource efficient Europe, An industrial policy for the globalisation er...
EU Competitiveness Council 11 to 12 October 2010: Background materials
Yesterday we looked at the tragicomical story of the language regime necessary for the EU patent (formerly the Community patent). Under the Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union there is advance information about the Competitiveness...
Informal Competitiveness Council: Innovation (Not) @ Work?
I had a rather unique experience a few days ago. I was invited to attend and speak at the Informal Competitiveness Council convened by Belgian Economy Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne. For those of you who don’t know Minister Van Quickenborne, he...
Why is Europe falling behind? Look at EU patent
The governments of the EU member states meet in the Council of the European Union, Monday to Tuesday (11 to 12 October 2010) in Luxembourg. Yes, even when the Council presidency is in Belgian hands (Brussels), the October Council meetings are held in...
EU: From Monti report to Single Market Act
In his ”State of the Union” speech, the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, outlined the Commission’s Work Programme for 2011. With regard to the economy, including the internal market, Barroso set the tone during the in...
Release real growth and real jobs from the chains of over-regulation and red tape!
It seems that the key skills for success in business etc today are not biz studies or motivation/inspiration but legal ones.Why?Due to over-legislation & red tape!Stop "killing" personal & business creativity via over-regulation, over-legisl...
thinking has to become more global, for jobs to remain local!
I wrote this post in my old blog 35 months ago (October 27, 2007). Read it and see to what extent it remains current. IMO, it's even more current and relevant today than in October 2007!Who is thinking global?America is not thinking global. That is t...
Management: "Information is Power?
Written: 24/11/2001In the "good old" capitalist days, capital ruled. O.K., one also needed labour and knowhow or technology (or land in the "ancient" times), but capital was the scarce, the critical resource.If one had capital, one could easily secur...
