The 13th HEBC report focuses on the need for a country strategy.

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It is an honour and a privilege to have taken over as Secretary General of ERT as from 1 June.

ERT is a unique and prestigious group that commands much respect across Europe and in Brussels. As our Chairman Leif Johansson notes on this website, ERT companies sustain around 6.6 million jobs in Europe, with a turnover exceeding 1,000 billion euro. It is clearly vital for Europe's future that this is maintained, particularly in the face of growing global competitive pressure.

ERT is uniquely placed to signal key developments and trends that impact on Europe's ability to maintain itself at the forefront of innovation and global economic activities.

Having spent the last 23 years in Brussels (latterly as Director General of EFPIA, the trade association for the research-based pharmaceutical industry), I fully understand the need for constructive engagement with senior policymakers across Europe. I will be doing all I can to ensure that ERT makes its presence felt on the strategic challenges facing Europe, in the interest of pursuing Europe's competitiveness.

I will also seek to maintain the high standards of the Secretariat and its support and service to ERT Members.

I very much look forward to working with ERT Members to the benefit of the future economic well-being of Europe


Brian Ager
Secretary General

Biography

ERT welcomes the report of the High-Level Trade Experts Group chaired by Peter Sutherland and Professor Jagdish Bhagwati, published on 25 May 2011.

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ERT welcomes efforts by Euro area leaders to improve competitiveness.

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Standards can be major drivers of competitiveness. This report, compiled by a consultancy for ERT, provides an initial overview of the global, European and national standard-setting landscape. It is a contribution to an ongoing debate to which ERT may contribute its own views in due course.

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ERT sees insufficient progress on the recommendations made in its Vision for a competitive Europe in 2025 and published Quick Wins for 2011 - ERT's policy priorities.

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Click here to access the Quick Wins 2011

In order to increase economic growth, employment and the competitiveness of the European Union ERT supports the EU flagship initiative for ?An agenda for new skills and jobs? launched with the Europe 2020 agenda. In times of rapid global economic and technological changes European labour productivity needs to be increased and companies need to be able to adapt their workforce and have access to the right talent and skills. With this in mind, ERT has produced a leaflet on Employability & Flexibility. This document outlines ERT recommendations for bold and swift actions from European as well as national policy-makers and social partners, which are necessary in the following policy areas in order to increase both economic and employment growth in the European labour market.

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The European Union continues to face global and domestic energy and climate change challenges, ranging from finding its role in the ongoing international climate negotiations, to developing a secure, competitive and domestic low carbon economy for the future. ERT is sensitive to these challenges and remains committed to the energy and climate change debate, putting forward the perspective of CEOs and Chairmen of some of the world?s leading multinational industrial companies.

ERT has developed a set of position papers and thought pieces to support our continued engagement in the evolving policy process. These papers address developments in both domestic and international climate policy, which have short and long term impacts on industry. This report is a compilation of these position papers.

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Brussels, 2 November 2010
The European Round Table of Industrialists (ERT) has appointed Brian Ager as ERT Secretary General with effect from 1 June 2011. He will take over from the current Secretary General Wim Philippa who, having successfully been in this position since 1998, will then retire.

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The EU's innovation capacity needs to be strengthened. The future EU Framework Programme (FP8) must therefore be a crucial component of the EU's innovation policy. Building on the ERT Vision, this publication makes detailed recommendations on the improvements needed to ensure that the future Framework Programme can achieve world-class research and innovation performance in the EU.

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This publication supplements ERT's Vision and policy recommendations with a set of indicators to gain a better overview of economic realities. The brochure is structured according to the elements of ERT's Vision. For each element, we have identified indicators that can help to gain an appreciation of the current situation in Europe and, where possible, in other important economies.

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The primary objective of this report is to demonstrate, through a series of examples, how ERT Member companies are taking a lead in building the foundations for a sustainable energy economy for 2020 and beyond. The sustainable energy economy will be one where industry co-creates in a competitive way an energy efficient, low carbon society with governments and consumers. The co-creation of the economy is expected to be formed of many small step changes that will combine to impact on the way that we live at home, the way we as individuals work in the offices of 2020 and beyond and the way in which we use transport. Co-creating this competitive new economy requires the support of industry, government and consumers. Collectively it will be possible to strongly impact specific aspects of the economy, including those highlighted in this report; manufacturing and distribution, construction, smart and sustainable living, mobility and transportation and delivering energy.

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