Finnish Y4 Committee Winner of the European Enterprise Awards 2006
The Y4 Committee, which brings together 36 organisations from Central Finland, has won the Jury's Grand Prize in the first ever edition of the European Enterprise Awards. A high level jury, made up of independent experts, awarded the Y4 Committee the prize for most creative and inspiring entrepreneurship initiative in Europe as it has brought about a 'cultural change by spreading entrepreneurial thinking in all layers of society'. The Y4 strategy is to ensure that the business perspective is taken into account in all decision-making, and that people are encouraged to be entrepreneurs whilst adopting ethically sustainable values. At the official ceremony in Brussels, five other initiatives by local authorities aimed at supporting entrepreneurship were rewarded in the following special categories: enterprise support, red tape reduction, investment in people, responsible entrepreneurship and the 'entrepreneurial trailblazer'. Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen, responsible for enterprise and industry policies, presented the prizes and said: 'The winners demonstrate how public institutions and business can work together to produce new ideas and create new jobs. We have six winning teams represented here today. But more than 400 local authorities from 20 countries participated in this first competition. These numbers show that there is widespread political support for the promotion of entrepreneurship in Europe. I hope that next year will bring similar success stories in even greater numbers.' Finnish Minister Mauri Pekkarinen, representing the Finnish Presidency of the European Council called this initiative 'an important and innovative way of rewarding good entrepreneurship policies in Europe as well as an outstanding tool for spreading best policy practice'. He added that the Y4-Committee in Central Finland represents an example of a whole society committed to improving the entrepreneurial environment. Its goal is crystallised in the group's name, which derives from four Finnish words beginning with the letter Y: 'Promote Entrepreneurship in Society through Cooperation.' Michel Delebarre, President of the Committee of the Regions and host of the event said: 'The European Enterprise Awards are a success not only for the six winners, but for all the participating projects demonstrating how European regions and cities provide the springboard for innovation and success.' The Entrepreneurial Trailblazer Award rewards actions that promote an entrepreneurial culture and mindset. The initiative for start-ups and Business Transfers, IFEX, (Baden-Württemberg Germany) is a wide-ranging regional initiative to support business start-ups and transfers with special focus on women and youth. Its specialised network of 1,400 public and private actors helped to safe-guard 25,000 jobs in the last two years by supporting 2,100 business transfers. The Enterprise Support Award recompenses innovative policies that promote enterprise and attract investment in disadvantaged areas. The Lienz Marketing Department (Stadtgemeinde Lienz, Austria) has revitalised the city of 12,000 inhabitants and created a cooperative town vision between local residents and entrepreneurs. This has brought back visitors, tourists and clients regenerating the town's economy and image. The Red Tape Reduction Award rewards measures to simplify administrative procedures for businesses and start-ups in particular. The On-the-Spot Firm in Coimbra (Portugal) is a new regime that makes it possible to create a company in less than an hour, in a single office and at a much lower cost than before. The measure was so successful that it was extended to the whole country, saving companies over €900,000 and 150,000 days and creating 10,000 new jobs in the last year. The Investment in People Award recognises initiatives to improve entrepreneurship education and training. The Foundation for Research and Training in the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (FREE) is a non-profit association which works in the Walloon region (Belgium) to spread the 'spirit of entrepreneurship' among school children, students, teachers and the general public. It has produced educational toolkits to stimulate entrepreneurial qualities and helps organise mini-companies at schools, awareness-raising events and clubs for student entrepreneurs. The Responsible Entrepreneurship Award honours corporate social responsibility and sustainable business practices. Autopromozione Sociale is an inspiring project set up by the Municipality of Rome (Italy) to promote alternative economic activities. It has created a permanent space in the suburbs of Rome where 750 companies work in social and environmental areas such as fair trade, biodynamic agriculture, ethical finance, recycling, energy savings, responsible tourism and free software. For the Jury's Special Mentions award, it highlighted two outstanding initiatives that bring together values and efforts that the European Enterprise Awards aim to encourage: The Municipality of Slovensky Grob, in Slovakia for its revival of the traditional dish of roast goose that has turned the town into a celebrated tourist destination creating jobs and preserving its heritage. Rock City AB, Hultsfred, Sweden, a vibrant meeting place for creative entrepreneurship in music, media and tourism where 25 new companies have been created and products and businesses such as music associations, event and production companies are constantly emerging.