| |
Not good enough |
| |
|
Each year the March meeting of the European Council reviews progress in improving Europe's economic competitiveness. As before, the Commission has prepared a detailed assessment of developments over the past 12 months, measuring the EU's position in the global economy. The 2003 report shows once again that we are well behind schedule, and the Commission is calling on Member States to make greater efforts. |
| |
| |
Financial stability for small firms |
| |
|
Inadequate access to finance clearly hampers the growth of small businesses. A recent Commission Communication assesses how the public sector can encourage and underpin private-sector initiatives. Loan guarantees and support for microlending are growing in importance, while changing banking practices should also benefit SMEs. |
| |
| |
Call for stakeholders' input |
| |
|
This summer, the European Commission plans to adopt an action plan on innovation - 'Innovate for a competitive Europe', setting out concrete actions to foster innovation throughout Europe. The Commission is now inviting stakeholders to contribute to the debate. |
| |
| |
Can benchmarking help bridge the gap? |
| |
|
The Commission's recent Competitiveness Report and Enterprise Policy Scoreboard reveal that European industry is failing to catch up with the US. Despite improvements in ICT investment, growth in European productivity continues to decline. However, individual Member States outshone the US in almost all areas of analysis, demonstrating the need to spread good practice across the Union. |
| |
| |
Gumming up the system |
| |
|
Companies and organisations throughout the EU rely more than ever on e-mail and internet communication for their daily business. But the ever-growing plague of spam - unsolicited communications - threatens to overwhelm them. The Commission is bringing together industry and regulators to fight this growing drag on productivity. |
| |
M E N U