ERT's suggestions for FP8
November 2010
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.
Benchmarking progress towards a competitive Europe – Monitoring achievement of ERT's Vision
October 2010
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.
ERT’s Vision for a competitive Europe in 2025 with recommendations for policy action
February 2010
This document outlines ERT’s Vision for a competitive Europe in 2025 and gives policy recommendations for the next five years. It is supplemented by a separate set of ‘Quick Wins’ for the year 2010.
ERT Vision: ‘Quick Wins in 2010’
February 2010
This is a supplement to ERT’s Vision for a competitive Europe for 2025. It outlines recommendations for policy action in 2010.
Letter to the informal European Council meeting, 1 March 2009
February 2009
The letter is based on previous ERT messages, highlighting the importance of safeguarding the Single Market and the need to regain public confidence. It also makes the point that any measure reducing the cost of doing business must be seen as a measure in support of economic recovery, and therefore proposes that the EU’s competitiveness agenda should be fast-tracked.
Benchmarking Europe's Competitiveness
November 2008
This publication analyses key competitiveness indicators and gives ERT policy recommendations on ways to strengthen the European economy.
The Contribution of ERT Member Companies to Growth and Jobs in the EU
May 2008
As Europe seeks to adapt to considerable change to ensure that its innovation is keeping up with new global challenges, EU Industry needs to understand all contributing factors to its competitiveness. It is for this reason in 2007 that the Competitiveness Working Group of the ERT embarked upon examining and assessing its own Member Company contributions to EU Growth and Jobs. The report represents the findings of the study, and is aimed at highlighting the contribution of ERT Member Companies to jobs and wealth in the EU. It also identifies policy recommendations based on the results of the research that are designed to help advance innovation and wealth in the region.
Letter to the European Council Presidency, Spring 2007
February 2007
“EU wealth and well-being” is of paramount importance as EU Member States strive to be more competitive. This year, ERT underscores four vital issues that have been brought to the forefront of the European agenda. The Competitiveness Working Group, under the chairmanship of Gerard Kleisterlee, has called for decisive action on international trade, energy and climate change, reinforcement of the innovation triangle and improving the quality of EU regulation. These are issues that need to be addressed urgently if the EU is to achieve the goals of the renewed Lisbon strategy. As Competitiveness embodies a multitude of issues that link society, the environment and business, ERT strongly believes that in recognising and working together with the European institutions to solve these issues, it makes a strong contribution to the dynamism of Europe.
Letter to the European Council Presidency, Spring 2006
March 2006
Implementation and an urgent approach to “real progress” were the messages of the ERT correspondence to the 2006 Spring Council. As is customary for the past five years, the Members of ERT have found it beneficial to voice the most urgent concerns of European Industry in order to initiate constructive dialogue on a European level. Implementation and tangible progress towards a more competitive Europe continuously remain the major concerns of ERT. In 2006, the follow up to the Commission’s renewed Lisbon Agenda sees the focus of R&D; becoming increasingly important, and poses questions as to whether the current level of innovation is acceptable when considering Europe’s education policies and regulatory research environment. The letter also reiterates the call for a more effective Competitiveness Council and to increase the drive of Better Regulation in the European context.
Letter to the European Council Presidency, Spring 2005
March 2005
ERT sent a letter to the Presidency of the European Council and European Commission, ahead of the Spring Summit on 22-23 March 2005, where the Mid-Term Review of the Lisbon Strategy would be under discussion. The ERT letter underlines the importance of securing more growth and jobs if Europe is to sustain its social and environmental values. To achieve this, it stresses the need for more coherent action within and between European Institutions and the importance of improving implementation of the Lisbon Agenda within the Member States. The letter expresses support for the new approach proposed by the European Commission that clearly identifies responsibilities and calls for National Action Plans, and additionally calls for a more effective Competitiveness Council and an " early harvest" of measurable, quick wins by end 2005.
Annex to letter on "Future European Research Policy"
March 2005
The annex to the ERT letter sent ahead of the Spring Summit 2005 (see above) sets out ERT's perspective on the importance of a strong knowledge base to stimulate growth and job creation in Europe. It illustrates how the framework conditions for business in general and R&D; in particular are determining the future of key EU industry sectors and identifies the crucial contribution made by EU and national policy-making in creating these conditions.
How to put economic reform on the front burner - a business view
January 2005
Gerhard Cromme, ERT Chairman, contributed to the EPC "Challenge Europe Online Journal" in January 2005 on "What Future for Europe's Economic and Social Model?". His article stressed that accelerating employment and productivity growth are key to upholding Europe's social and environmental values. Member States are failing to meet the Lisbon targets and politicians have been too slow to respond to the Lisbon strategy's challenges. A heavy-handed regulatory framework and an inefficient technological framework are limiting European growth.
Letter to the November 2004 European Council
October 2004
In October 2004, ERT sent a letter to the European Council, ahead of their meeting on 4-5 November 2004, to underline the continuing importance of the Lisbon strategy for promoting growth and jobs in Europe and to call for its speedy implementation. ERT emphasised the need for EU Institutions and national governments to give far higher priority to making and implementing decisions that will boost growth and jobs. ERT urged the European Council, in particular, to demonstrate renewed commitment to the agenda by ensuring delivery of a number of key early successes by end 2005.
"Excellence of Enterprises": Speech by Gerhard Cromme - Informal Competitiveness Council in Maastricht
July 2004
On 2 July 2004, Gerhard Cromme, ERT Chairman, addressed the informal Competitiveness Council. The meeting brought together Ministers for Industry, Internal Market and Research and was convened under the Dutch Presidency in Maastricht to examine the main barriers to generating and using knowledge in Europe and establishing a knowledge-based economy. In his speech Gerhard Cromme drew attention to the failure of Europe to nurture its knowledge base and release its full potential in terms of growth and jobs, not least because of the continuing patchy implementation of the Lisbon strategy. Noting that competitiveness of big and small companies is the sine qua non for sustainable prosperity, he highlighted what needs to be done at a policy level to enhance the contribution of knowledge to European growth performance.
Letter to the March 2004 European Council
February 2004
From the outset, ERT supported EU leaders in their efforts to promote growth and jobs through making Europe a more attractive place to do business, and therefore greatly welcomed the Lisbon strategy. Yet so far, this strategy had failed to deliver its promise. In an increasingly competitive and changing world, the need to implement the Lisbon targets was becoming ever more urgent. Against this background, ERT identified three priority areas where action was needed to boost jobs and growth in Europe:
1. The framework for business competitiveness
2. An innovation strategy based on education, R&D; and entrepreneurship
3. How Europe takes decisions
The European Challenge
February 2003
In 2003, ERT's concern at Europe's slow progress towards the Lisbon goal was growing ever more intense. Three years on, many of the individual Lisbon targets had not been met on time, putting the overall programme in peril. Moreover, at its meeting in Barcelona in March 2002, the European Council added a further target: that Europe's investment in R&D; should be increased from the current level of 1.9% GDP to approach 3% in 2010. Having closely examined this target, ERT Members concluded that it was unrealistic in the timeframe without a dramatic reappraisal of Europe's approach to innovation and its framework conditions for business.
The Barcelona European Council stipulated that the private sector should seek to provide two-thirds of the increased R&D; investment they envisaged. Yet an internal ERT survey revealed that the companies behind ERT Members, representing some 13% of total European R&D; spending, were not intending to increase their investment in R&D; in Europe by any significant amount in the next few years; any increases they did make were more likely to be invested in other regions. The survey indicated, however, that companies would consider spending more in Europe if there was a dramatic reappraisal of the framework conditions for R&D; in the areas of human resources (investment in centres of excellence and skills); public finance; Intellectual Property rights and legislation / regulation. This paper details the ERT proposals for such a reappraisal.
Will European Governments in Barcelona keep their Lisbon promises?
February 2002
By March 2002, when the European Council was meeting in Barcelona, two years had passed since Lisbon, but ERT felt that progress had been patchy and Europe was not on track to achieve the Lisbon goal. Decisive measures were needed to address the delivery gaps. The Competitiveness Working Group contributed to the identification of ten areas as key priorities for implementation, where focused action could put the process back on track. The paper expressed ERT's concern at the slow progress towards the Lisbon goal and argued for change in Europe to enable the pace of agreed reform to be increased.
Actions for Competitiveness through the Knowledge Economy in Europe
March 2001
Throughout 2000, a Task Force, led by Peter Bonfield (BT) collaborated with the Competitiveness Working Group to identify key areas where urgent action was needed to stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship in Europe's citizens, and address the persistent skills gap. The resulting ERT paper "Actions for Competitiveness through the Knowledge Economy in Europe" was sent to the European Council prior to the Stockholm Summit.
Task Force's working paper
March 2001
The Task Force's working paper gives more background to the preparation of the ERT message to the Stockholm Summit in March 2001 (see above).
European Business Summit - "How to achieve what was set out in Lisbon": Speech by Morris Tabaksblat
June 2000
In his closing address to the European Business Summit (Brussels, 9-10 June 2000), the then Chairman of the European Round Table, Morris Tabaksblat, emphasised the need for rapid change to achieve the Lisbon targets and to make Europe a far more competitive and entrepreneurial business environment.
"Enhancing European Competitiveness - our core concern"
February 2000
ERT prepared a message to the European Commission, the European Council, the Ministerial Conference on "Knowledge and Innovation for the Competitiveness of Europe" (Noordwijk, March 2000) and the European Summit in Lisbon (March 2000).
The message emphasised that ERT believed Europe should use the opportunity of the Lisbon Summit on "Employment, Economic Reforms and Social Cohesion - towards a Europe based on innovation and knowledge" to launch a programme consisting of clear objectives, specific targets, benchmarks against world best performance, and a system of rigorous and regular monitoring through the various Councils and institutional processes.
Anticipating that the Summit would decide upon the next steps to be taken, ERT identified three targets, with examples, which European industry viewed as the main priorities for enabling a dynamic entrepreneurial Europe to reap the benefits of new technological and economic developments.
ERT's three targets were:
- Create a culture of entrepreneurship and reward risk-taking and success;
- Promote new technologies;
- Accelerate and improve the legislative process for use of new technologies and reduce lead times for market access.
Job Creation and Competitiveness through Innovation
November 1998
For a year, ERT studied the link between innovation, competitiveness and employment levels.
While Europe proved to have far less innovation and fewer entrepreneurs than the US, ERT Members were convinced that this situation could be put right through rapid action taken by Europeans in both public and private capacities.
The ERT identified six courses of action, namely: changing attitudes; creating new businesses; research and development; knowledge and skills; finance and risk capital; and government and legislation. It called on Government to play a leading role in helping to change society by brokering the opportunities of innovation and entrepreneurship to the public.
Benchmarking for Policy-makers: The Way to Competitiveness, Growth and Job Creation
October 1996
Benchmarking is explained simply and clearly as a tool that can be used by anybody to improve performance not only within industry but also within government, and shows how to set national and regional goals. Supported by case studies from BP, the Dutch government and the Australian government.
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