Brussels, 5.10.2005
COM(2005) 474 final
In the face of globalisation and intense international competition, the European Commission has launched a new industrial policy to create better framework conditions for manufacturing industries in the coming years. The manufacturing industry matters to the EU, it employs over 34 million people, it accounts for three quarters of EU exports and over 80% of EU private sector R&D expenditure. Whether or not a business succeeds or not ultimately depends on the vitality and strength of the business itself, but the overall environment can help or harm business prospects.
The new EU industrial policy will complement work at Member State level to support a strong and dynamic industrial base. It includes seven new initiatives - on competitiveness, energy and the environment, on intellectual property rights, on better regulation, on industrial research and innovation, on market access, on skills, and on managing structural change - which will benefit a wide range of industry sectors. Seven additional initiatives are targeted at specific sectors such as pharmaceuticals, defence and Information and communication technologies.
The approach underlying the new industrial policy is based on a detailed screening of 27 individual sectors of manufacturing industry and construction. It builds on the success of several joint initiatives undertaken by the Commission with, for example the shipbuilding and car industries. This industrial policy is an important step in the delivery of the Commissions new Lisbon Partnership for Growth and Jobs.
Table of Contents
- EU Industrial Policy and the Action Programme for Growth and Employment
- The Importance of EU Manufacturing Industry
- Assessing the Diversity of Policy Challenges across Sectors
- Towards an Outline of Work for Industrial Policy
- Cross-sectoral policy initiatives
- Sector-specific initiatives
- Conclusion