Study of the industrial situation in Central and Eastern Europe
The European Commission, DG III, has published an invitation to tender concerning a study to assess the industrial situation in Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs). The study should cover the ten countries which have applied for accession to the EU and will provide elements enabling an appraisal to be made of the competitive situation among the different industrial sectors. The study should also enable an evaluation to be made of the CEECs' capacity to adapt to a new competitive environment and to enable a definition to be made of their upgrading conditions. The approach will comprise two parts. The first will include drawing up a summary of indicators for each country to convey the overall environment in which companies are operating and which will determine to a large extent their development potential. This should be based on existing analyses. The second part will address the development of selected analyses for each country concerning a number of industrial sectors. It should examine the structure, strengths and weaknesses of the sectors, with the aim of evaluating their overall competitive situation with respect to their accession to the EU. The following sectors will be targeted in particular: - Food; - Mechanics and electrical engineering; - Manufactured metal products; - Textiles, clothing and leather; - Glass; - Ceramics; - Paper and wood. For the industrial sectors, such as the chemical industry, which are required to adopt major Community legislation within the framework of accession, a review of cost and finance related issues brought about by accession should be made. The study contract will run for one year, and may be extended for a further year. For further information and tender documents, please contact: European Commission DG III - Industry Mr. Jacques Soenens Directorate A - Industrial policy 200 rue de la Loi B-1049 Brussels Tel. +32-2-2951267; Fax +32-2-2964311