Panorama of EU Industry 1997
The seventh annual edition of the "Panorama of EU Industry" was presented by Commissioner Bangemann on 15 March 1997. Published by the European Commission (DG III), this annual publication, compiled in close collaboration with EUROSTAT and European industry, provides a wealth of comparable and clear consolidated data on European industry. The "Panorama of EU Industry" 1997 reveals that the increased opening of national economies to world market forces has been a catalyst for restructuring new technologies and rapidly changing consumer markets driven by intense competition. A main concern, however, is that even though most EU economies are benefiting from a period of recovery, this might be a jobless one. Although the unemployment rate in the EU has been decreasing, it remained in the two digit range, at close to 10.7% for the EU as a whole, in 1996. To reflect the growing interactions between sectors and companies in Western and Eastern Europe, this edition of the Panorama presents a special section on the industrial situation and restructuring status in Eastern Europe. In the first part of the book, the broad determinants of EU competitiveness are presented in nine special feature articles. Among other issues, this year's edition analyses the impact and effectiveness of the Single Market, describes the discussion on the importance of management practices for the competitiveness of EU industry and on intangible investments as an innovative factor. In addition, it provides a forecast of trends in employment by type of skills due to innovation and changes in the Information Society. The second part offers analysis of close to 200 industrial and service sectors. Each sector profile includes a detailed description of the driving factors and the supply strategies, provides background to EU legislation affecting the performance of the sector, and compares Europe's performance with that of the USA and Japan. To track future European and global industrial trends, this year's Panorama introduces a set of new chapters, notably on recycling and on the Information Society, and other innovative new industries such as biotechnology and renewable energy. The "Panorama of European Industry" is available in English, French and German. It is also available in a multilingual CD-ROM version containing all three language versions.