Enterprise & industry. 7, June 2010.
Date: 2010-05-27
Institutions: Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry
Subjects: business policy, industrial policy, serial publication

&ENTERPRISE

INDUSTRY
magazine

ISSN 1831-1237

Vice-President 
Antonio Tajani 
outlines his priorities 
Galileo: a star performer for Europe

European SME Week 2010

Promoting e-Skills

European Commission
Enterprise and Industry

7June 2010

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Enterprise & Industry | June 2010 

Contents 

CONTENTS

EDITORIAL

   Editorial 

2

European Commission 

     Smart, green and inclusive  3

    Galileo: a star 
performer for Europe 

8

    A more innovative Europe  10

    Promoting and supporting 
entrepreneurship 

12

     Erasmus for entrepreneurs 
gets oﬀ   to a good start  

14

    Bolstering Europe’s 
creative industries 

16

    Go digITal! 
Promoting e-Skills in Europe  18

          THE FLOOR TO IRINI PARI 

Innovation through design  20

          ENTERPRISE EUROPE 

NETWORK IN ACTION   

    News in brief 
& upcoming events 

21

22

Vice-President Antonio Tajani is 

the new Commissioner in charge 

of Industry and Entrepreneurship. 

In our interview, he outlines his 

priorities for his term in office, 

including how he intends to 

use his portfolio to help the 

In addition, we explore the first results of 

the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs 

Programme and why e-skills are high on 

the EU’s agenda. 

The new European Innovation 

Scoreboard highlights that Europe is 

faring better in the innovation stakes and 

reveals a clear link between innovation 

and internationalisation, but warns of 

the potential negative consequences 

European economy to be smart, 

of the recession.

green and inclusive. 

Issue 7 also presents Galileo, the EU’s 

should be operational by 2014, and 

global satellite navigation system, which 

represents a big opportunity for the EU’s 

This issue introduces two new features. 

The first is ‘The floor to…’ which provides a 

podium for a prominent personality to speak 

on a particular topic. This time, Irini Pari, 

Vice-President of the European Economic 

and Social Committee, talks about design 

and innovation. Each issue will also contain 

the ‘Enterprise Europe Network in Action’ 

economy as its advanced technological 

page highlighting the latest news from this 

features will make it a valuable tool for 

network, which helps European SMEs do 

nearly all economic sectors.

business in the single market and beyond.

But star performers are not just out in space. 

If you like what you read in our magazine, 

Back here on earth, small and medium-sized 

why not subscribe? It costs you nothing – 

enterprises remain the backbone of the 

simply turn to the back cover for details of how 

EU economy. E&I takes a tour of this year’s 

to subscribe. And visit our regularly updated 

European SME Week and finds out how this 

initiative is ‘training business champions’. 

on-line magazine, too. 
(www.ec.europa.eu/enterprise/e_i) ■ 

ENTERPRISE & INDUSTRY
The Enterprise & Industry magazine is published three times a year, in English, 
French and German, complementing the on-line magazine of the European 
Commission’s Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry.

The magazine is financed under the Competitiveness and Innovation 
Framework Programme which aims to encourage the competitiveness of 
European enterprises.

Issue n° 7 (1-2010) 
The content of this issue was finalised April 2010.

Published by
Communication and Information Unit
Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry
European Commission
B-1049 Brussels
entr-communication-information@ec.europa.eu
www.ec.europa.eu/enterprise/e_i/index_en.htm

LEGAL NOTICE
Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on its behalf may be 
held responsible for the use to which information contained in this publication 
may be put, nor for any errors which may appear despite careful preparation 
and checking. This publication does not necessarily reflect the view or the 
position of the European Commission.
Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2010
ISSN 1831-1237
© European Union, 2010
Reproduction is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged, save where 
otherwise stated.  

For use/reproduction of third-party copyright material specified as such 
permission must be obtained from the copyright holder(s).

Front cover image: © European Union
Printed in Belgium

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Interview 

Enterprise & Industry | June 2010

3

SMART, GREEN 
AND INCLUSIVE

E&I magazine meets Antonio 

Tajani, the EU’s new Industry and 

Entrepreneurship Commissioner, 

and finds out about his priorities for his 

term in office, his ambition to marry 

industry with the environment, and how 

he intends to use his portfolio to help 

the European economy to be smart, 

green and inclusive. 

Congratulations on becoming the new Industry 

and Entrepreneurship Commissioner. What personal 

challenges and opportunities do you see ahead 

with your new portfolio? What will your priorities be?

I am a person who likes politics, so to take on the big 

challenge of developing EU industrial policy, with a 

special focus on SMEs, is appealing. In view of the global 

economic crisis, this is a challenge that interests me very 

much and I look forward to roll up my sleeves and get 

to work. Policy is always a challenge, but you have to try 

and give answers to citizens’ questions. 

We need to avoid that the financial and economic 

crisis turns into a social crisis. It is for that reason that 

political will is necessary to counteract the growth in 

unemployment. In addition, there are other challenges, 

namely tourism and space. The Lisbon Treaty 

introduces a new legal basis focusing on these areas – 

two areas that are very interesting and in which we can 

do good work. 

Tourism is an incredible resource for Europe, for young 

people and those not so young, so I would really like 

to achieve positive results for the benefit of both the 

industry and our tourists. We have lots of potential 

which we are not maximising. This new framework 

which we would like to see in place should help 

us achieve that.

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Enterprise & Industry | June 2010 

Interview

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How has your career shaped the person you are now and what can 

Commissioner. I think that the Small Business Act (SBA) is an 

this varied experience bring to your current job?

important policy milestone for the European Commission and was 

I’m now in the third phase of my career. I was in the army, 

the most significant achievement of Verheugen’s mandate, because 

I was a journalist and then, for 15 years, I was an MEP, and now 

it is the Commission’s response to the demands of SMEs, who are 

I’m a Commissioner. My varied experience always comes in handy 

the most important players in our economy – its backbone – and 

because when you get involved in political life, you have to be 

I think that it is necessary to strive, every day, to implement the SBA. 

aware of what is going on in different fields and different countries. 

In fact, he did lots of things, with very good results for industry, 

You need to have experience to deal with this. Even now, I add 

but this one pleased me even more than the others.

new experiences daily to those that I have accrued over the years. 

Everything is useful to understand what is going on and, above all, 

my experiences with the EU are useful because I have the chance to 

About Antonio Tajani

be in touch with citizens and their needs. The best way to tackle the 

problems that Europeans face is on the ground, you cannot do it by 

keeping your door closed – it is not enough to study dossiers, you 

have to see what is happening to understand the issues at stake.

You plan to take part in the Enterprise Experience Programme in 

which Commission officials go and work in a European enterprise 

to gain hands-on experience of life in an SME. What motivated 

you to do this and what do you hope to come away with? 

Do you know where you will be working?

I have said that I will do it and I am actually quite looking forward 

to it. I think I will be doing it in France. Soon after having been 

confirmed as Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, 

I paid a visit to Germany to try to understand the German system. 

I would like to use this experience to help me understand the 

working method and the environment that French SMEs find 

themselves in. It is necessary to learn about countries other than 

the one that I already know best. 

What would you say were the major achievements of the 

Verheugen years and how do you intend to build upon them? 

Former EU Transport Commissioner, Antonio Tajani is Vice-President of the European 
Commission in charge of Industry and Entrepreneurship. He has been an active 
force in European politics for over 15 years. The Italian politician was first elected 
to the European Parliament in 1994, and was re-elected in 1999 and 2004. During 
his 15 years of parliamentary activity, Antonio Tajani was a member of numerous 
committees, including those dealing with foreign affairs, constitutional affairs, 
transport and tourism, fisheries, as well as security and defence. He was also a 
member of the Convention on the Future of Europe, which drafted the text for a 
proposed European Constitution.

Commissioner Tajani is a member of the Il Popolo della Libertà (People of Freedom) 
party, which has led Italy’s ruling coalition since May 2008. Tajani is also vice-
president of the European People’s Party, the largest political grouping in the 
European Parliament.

Before entering politics, he was an officer in the Italian air force. He then embarked 
on a varied journalistic career which saw him edit the Italian weekly Il Settimanale, 
work as a presenter on the RAI 1 radio news, head the Rome office of the Italian daily 
Il Giornale, and work as a special correspondent in Lebanon, the former Soviet Union 
and Somalia. 

I think that Günter Verheugen, with whom I worked for a year 

Born in Rome in 1953, Commissioner Tajani is married with two children.

and a half during the previous Barroso Commission, was a good 

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Interview 

Enterprise & Industry | June 2010

5

During your hearing at the European Parliament, you talked about a 

It is like a football team – we are all on the same team and each of 

“green economy in a marriage of convenience with industrial policy 

us tries to play their role, but we are all wearing the same colours. 

to fight climate change”. Is putting the green economy at the heart of 

If we want to succeed in defeating unemployment, it is necessary 

EU industrial policy a priority for you? How do you intend to do this?

to have a policy and a strategy which is transformed into concrete 

Of course, it is part of the European strategy. I am convinced that 

actions on the part of each Commissioner.

we need to engage with the green economy. It is a challenge 

spearheaded by the European Union and we must succeed. 

Even those who have not signed an agreement with numbers, like the 

Chinese and the Americans, are in the process of investing a lot more 

than us in the green economy. That is why we need to continue our 

work and, as I said to the European Parliament, we can organise 

marriages between the environment and industrial policy. Sometimes 

these marriages will perhaps be ones of convenience, but over time 

they can be very successful. In addition to this, I said that we have to 

work on making the economy greener. This, with the green economy 

at its heart, will be an underlying leitmotif of my work.

What role can the EU’s innovation policy play 

in the economic recovery?

Innovation breeds economic revival. Since we cannot face the 

challenges of the global market if European businesses don’t 

change, they must be innovative. And to do this, we must ensure 

that they – especially SMEs – have access to funds, to credit. 

This is why I am working on improving access to credit and to 

guarantees for SMEs. We need to study a number of possibilities, 

including in the upcoming Framework Programmes. I am working 

on innovation with European Research Commissioner Máire 

Geoghegan-Quinn, and we are going to release a Communication 

Why do you think a cross-cutting industrial policy is important for 

on the subject soon. Innovation strategy touches on all areas of 

the EU and how do you envision this would work?

the economy and it is necessary for industry to co-operate with 

It is the end of an economy based on financial speculation. 

other sectors. 

We need a policy in all areas which tries to answer the need for a 

real economy. So that is the big challenge: we must not simply aim 

to achieve that in the remit of the Commissioner for Industry and 

Entrepreneurship but in all areas that have even the slightest impact 

on industrial policy. You cannot take the risk of having a sectoral 

policy that is not linked to a strategy. We have a strategy for the 

development of Europe and each Commissioner has a role to play. 

What results do you expect from European space initiatives, 

such as Galileo and GMES?

Space is one of the major challenges for Europe. Galileo is an 

important project. The Americans, Russians, Chinese and Indians 

have or are developing their own systems. Europe also needs its 

very own. It will be very useful and is a big challenge for European 

companies and the economy. 

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Enterprise & Industry | June 2010 

Interview

Of course, Galileo will bring about a good number of practical 

benefits that outweigh the challenges. Some of these applications 

Europe’s new decade

were displayed at a recent exhibition in Brussels. From 2014, using 

Galileo will provide us with new opportunities and more services 

for our citizens –  we can even try to have Galileo and GMES work 

together. For example, one must never forget that when there 

have been earthquakes and tsunamis, the images that were used 

by civil protection services to help the victims came from GMES. 

It is possible to use both Galileo and GMES in a wide range of fields 

including disaster response, agriculture, the reduction of pollution, 

as well as lots of practical applications that improve the quality of 

life for Europeans. 

You intend to focus on SMEs to overcome the economic crisis and 

prevent it from becoming a social crisis. What specific measures do 

you envisage? What new ways do you foresee for the application of 

the ‘Think small first’ principle and the Small Business Act?

Access to credit, above all. The Small Business Act is the practical 

application of what needs to be done. The approval of the 

In March 2010, the European Commission unveiled its much-awaited proposal for 
a policy road map to replace the Lisbon Strategy (2000-2010). Following a broad 
stakeholder consultation, the new ‘Europe 2020’ strategy provides a blueprint for 
innovation-driven growth that is smart (fostering knowledge, innovation, education 
and the digital society), green (more resource-efficient and competitive production) 
and inclusive (creating more jobs, while fighting poverty and social exclusion). 

Industrial policy for green growth is a flagship initiative of the Europe 2020 agenda: 
the strategy seeks to help the EU’s industrial base be competitive in the post-crisis 
world by promoting entrepreneurship and helping workers to develop new skills.

“Europe 2020 is about what we need to do today and tomorrow to get the EU 
economy back on track,” said European Commission President José Manuel Barroso. 
“We need to build a new economic model based on knowledge, low-carbon 
economy and high employment levels.” 

Late Payments Directive, which is currently being discussed by 

participate in the quest to harmonise EU standards. Standardisation 

the European Parliament, is also very important. In addition, 

not only reinforces the internal market, it also strengthens European 

it is necessary to work outside the EU for the internationalisation 

SMEs outside the EU. It is necessary to sign agreements with other 

of SMEs. I recently met with the president of Eurochambres, 

countries to open up their markets and to try to get other countries 

the association of European chambers of commerce, and we 

to accept our standardised system.

spoke about what can be done beyond the EU’s borders for SMEs. 

Of course, they need to be innovative, they must coordinate with 

each other, to organise themselves to compete with the SMEs of 

other continents. They are European and so we must try to help 

them. Better regulation is also very important – lots of things have 

already been done by the European Commission in this field and 

How do you intend to boost confidence in the CE marking?

A lot has been done on this, but there is still also the problem of 

counterfeiting – even of the CE marking itself. So we need to watch 

what is happening on the market in each Member State – in other 

words, better market surveillance.  

we must continue to improve the regulatory environment for 

It is a big challenge and I am trying to keep the promise that I made 

businesses with tools like impact assessments.

during my hearing at the European Parliament.  Commitments 

Internationalisation is very important for the competitiveness of 

SMEs. Does this also mean that SMEs should be helped to benefit 

fully from the internal market of the EU?

Of course. I am thinking of a number of things that can be done, 

such as electronic invoicing, which at the moment is not always 

possible due to problems with the compatibility of accounts. 

I am working to resolve this problem. We need to develop 

that are taken need to be fulfilled. For me, that is the first thing to 

do. For example, I said that I would sign an agreement with the 

Commissioner for the Environment on the REACH chemicals directive, 

and I did.  I have likewise promised an information campaign on the 

CE marking, and I am happy to say that it has started. Politicians must 

always try to respect what they have promised to citizens and their 

representatives. For me, this is a priority.

further exchanges and technology which will help us in the area 

You mentioned counterfeiting, what will you be doing to stop this?

of computerisation. We must work in this area because, in the 

Yes, we need to work on this, including the faking of the CE marking. 

coming years, most jobs will be based on information technology. 

The mark is useful in barring the placing of goods on our market 

For example, I visited factories in Germany – they did not have 

that do not respect our standards. But when the marking itself 

manual workers, they had technicians working with computers 

is counterfeited, you need to put extra controls in place – at the 

controlling the machines. The economy, including manufacturing, 

borders and on the internal market itself. Reinforcing market 

is changing, so we have to help SMEs to computerise and workers 

surveillance mechanisms requires co-operation across Europe 

to acquire the skills the knowledge society requires. This is a major 

to maintain respect for and conformity with European rules. It is 

challenge for the coming years.

As regards the internal market, how can the EU enhance the role 

of standardisation?

European standards are very useful for SMEs, larger companies 

and the internal market as a whole. It is necessary to allow them to 

difficult, but you must try to do it. The aim of each Commissioner 

must be to protect citizens, not to give orders. Politics is a service 
and you must never forget that.  ❚

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Enterprise & Industry | June 2010

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Enterprise & Industry | June 2010 

Industrial policy 

GALILEO: A STAR 
PERFORMER FOR EUROPE

Galileo, the EU’s strategic global navigation satellite 

products and services generate around €20 billion in direct 

system (GNSS), is set to be operational in 2014. 

This is good news for European enterprises, 

as Galileo’s advanced technological features will 

make it a valuable tool for nearly all economic 

sectors. It is also good news for European citizens who 

will enjoy more accurate positioning technologies 

and greater safety in the air, on land and at sea.    

The European satellite navigation market is tangible proof 

that the best way to deal with a recession is to be bold and 

reach for the stars. While many sectors of the European and 

global economy have stagnated or even shrunk, the GNSS market 

revenues in Europe in 2007.

The longer-term future also looks extremely promising. A market 

study carried out by the GSA, the EU’s GNSS agency, predicts that the 

global GNSS civilian market will amount to some €235 billion by 2025. 

In fact, the GNSS market provides a wealth of opportunities for 

upstream and downstream European enterprises and public 

services in a variety of sectors, including space technologies, 

software, hardware, social services to all kinds of citizens, real time 

information to people on the move, road transportation, public 

transport management, aviation, agriculture, energy, the protection 

of the environment, civil engineering, security, and much more.

Traditionally, the GNSS sector has been reliant on American 

infrastructure, in the form of the GPS system. This dependence 

not only means that Europe loses out on certain economic 

opportunities, it also leaves the EU vulnerable to disruption, 

– which includes such things as the navigation devices in vehicles – 

as the US system is  a military one that could potentially be 

has grown at a healthy rate.

brought offline for technical or political reasons. 

Between 2009 and 2013, GNSS markets are expected to grow 

Given the huge potential of the GNSS sector and Europe’s 

at impressive compound annual growth rates of around 24%. 

vulnerability to external suppliers, the EU has, for the past few years, 

This builds on years of sustained growth which saw GNSS-based 

been developing its own independent global system, Galileo. 

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Industrial policy  

Enterprise & Industry | June 2010

9

GIANT step for air safety

The EU-funded GIANT demonstration project sought to pave the way to the introduction of EGNOS and Galileo services in the aviation sector. The project 
demonstrated to airline operators both the short- and long-term benefits of switching to the new European satellite navigation systems.

Test flights in Italy, Spain and Switzerland using aircraft and helicopters, were, for the first time, guided by the EGNOS signal. The trials went very smoothly and 
showcased the promising use of Galileo for future safety-critical applications.

On track with tracking

One important GNSS application is the tracing and tracking (T&T) of sensitive assets, such as nuclear material. The EU-funded MENTORE project demonstrated the 
current and future applicability of EGNOS and Galileo technology for T&T activities.

The project carried out five demonstrations, focusing on a number of areas including the transportation of nuclear materials and livestock, multi-modal freight 
transport, as well as urban logistics.

The demonstrations were such a success that the Italian oil and gas giant, ENI, decided to install EGNOS on almost 2 000 trucks in its fleet.

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Positioning the EU on the global navigation map

Galileo takes off

The Galileo story began over a decade ago, at the end of the 1990s, 

As for Galileo itself, the satellite navigation system has reached 

when the EU decided to set up its own GNSS infrastructure for civil 

the most advanced stages of development. Two experimental 

and commercial use. Named after the famous Italian astronomer 

satellites were successfully launched in 2005 and 2008. In addition, 

Galileo Galilei, the ambitious system is a great achievement in space 

in November 2009, the Kourou ground station was inaugurated. 

engineering. With a fully deployed configuration of 30 satellites 

This marks an important milestone in the in-orbit validation phase 

in medium Earth orbit, it will provide unprecedented positioning 

of the Galileo programme.  

precision and accuracy down to a few metres. 

And the process is gathering pace. In January 2010, three of the six 

In addition to its high precision, the Galileo constellation will 

contracts for the delivery of Galileo’s full operating capability phase 

improve the availability of positioning services in cities where tall 

were signed. The remaining three contracts are due to be awarded 

buildings can obstruct signals from satellites that are low on the 

later this year. This latest phase will build up Galileo’s operational 

horizon. Galileo’s navigation signals will also be more available than 

infrastructure and will allow three of Galileo’s five services – the 

GPS at high latitudes, such as in Scandinavia.

open service, search and rescue, and public-regulated services 

Moreover, not only will Galileo provide both its European and global 

users with guaranteed uninterrupted service – something GPS and 

– to be fully operational by 2014 using an initial constellation 

of 18 satellites.  

GLONASS do not – it will also possess a built-in reliability check to warn 

So far, €5.8 billion has been earmarked for Galileo and EGNOS. 

of any loss of integrity in the system, a crucial feature for emergency 

Although this is a substantial amount of money, given the expected 

and other critical services, such as police and search and rescue units.

impact of Galileo (the European market for GNSS civil applications 

As a pre-cursor for Galileo, the EU has officially launched its first 

venture into satellite navigation, the European Geostationary 

is expected to be worth at least €60 billion in 2013), this is 

relatively modest. 

Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS). EGNOS, an augmentation 

And European public opinion is firmly behind Galileo. 

system, makes GPS more accurate and reliable for European users. 

According to an EU survey, 80% of citizens are in favour of an 

EGNOS will offer three services. The EGNOS Open Service – which 

is free and available to all – was launched on 1 October 2009. 

The EGNOS Safety-of-Life Service is due to be certified in 2010 for 

the purposes of air and maritime transport. EGNOS is also providing 

a terrestrial commercial data service: EDAS (EGNOS Data Access 

Service), which disseminates EGNOS data in real time and is the 

single point of access for the data collected and generated by the 

EGNOS infrastructure. This service is currently being beta-tested.

independent European satellite navigation system and nearly 
two-thirds are in favour of allocating public funds to the initiative.  ❚

❯❯  ❯❯  Contact
EU Satellite Navigation Programmes Units
Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry
entr-galileo@ec.europa.eu  
www.satellite-navigation.eu  

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Enterprise & Industry | June 2010 

Innovation 

A MORE 
INNOVATIVE EUROPE

EU Member States continue to improve their innovation performance, according to the 2009 

edition of the European Innovation Scoreboard, and the difference between the leaders and 

the catching-up countries is narrowing. However, there are signs hinting that the good progress of 

recent years may now be faltering.

The generally good news in the 2009 annual report from 

the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) is tempered by a 

recognition that next year’s report may not be so encouraging.

fastest improvers within their respective groups. Gains can be seen 

in every country and the groups continue to converge, with the 

most rapid improvement occurring in the lower-ranked countries. 

The EIS follows a new methodology first used in 2008 which gives 

more weight to service sectors, non-technological innovation and 

Movers and shakers

innovation outputs. The 29 indicators are designed to measure 

Estonia and Cyprus have risen from below the EU average in 2008 to 

the conditions in which innovation can flourish (human resources, 

above average in 2009. Five catching-up countries have improved 

finance and support), the innovative activities of companies 

sufficiently to be reclassed as moderate innovators, namely 

(investments, linkages and entrepreneurship, and throughputs, 

Malta, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and Lithuania.  And despite 

such as patents) and outputs (innovations and economic effects).

their low ranking, Bulgaria and Romania have been improving 

EIS covers 33 European countries, including all 27 EU member states. 

For each country, a summary innovation index (SII) is calculated 

from all 29 indicators which is then used to rank European countries 

into four groups.

The innovation leaders group is topped by Switzerland, followed 

by Sweden, Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom and Denmark. 

their performance faster than any other EU states. Conversely, 

the least growth is seen in the UK and Denmark, two of the top 

performing countries.

However, this generally upbeat assessment does not cover the 

current recession. More recent statistics hint at some worrying 

trends and indicate that the steady convergence observed until now 

between EU member states is unlikely to be maintained in the short 

The innovation followers have SII scores below those of the 

term and may even be reversed. An Innobarometer survey in April 

innovation leaders, but above or near the EU-27 average. 

2009  showed that firms in the countries with the fastest growing 

They include Austria, Luxembourg, Belgium, Ireland, France, 

innovation scores are those most affected by the slump. Likewise, 

the Netherlands, Estonia, Iceland, Cyprus and Slovenia. 

firms in countries that have been hardest hit by the downturn are 

Moderate innovators, with below-average SII scores, include 

the Czech Republic, Portugal, Norway, Spain, Greece, Italy, Malta, 

Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and Lithuania.

Finally, the catching-up countries, whose innovation performance 

is well below the EU-27 average, although increasing towards it, 

are Romania, Croatia, Latvia, Bulgaria, Turkey and Serbia. 

also those most likely to curb their investment in innovation.

Innovating in tough times

But the same poll also has some encouraging findings. While 23% of 

innovative EU firms had cut their spending on innovation and 29% 

expected to spend less in 2009 than the previous year, the more 

innovative firms appeared to be less likely to curb their spending 

Over the past five years, the EU’s performance has improved by an 

than the less innovative ones. A similar finding emerges for many of 

average 1.8% a year. Germany, Cyprus, Malta and Romania are the 

those firms pursuing broader innovation strategies. 

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The scoreboard also compares innovation in Europe with our main 

competitors. The EU still lags behind the US and Japan in innovation 

performance and the steady gains of EU countries relative to 

the US appear to have flattened out since the 2007 assessment. 

Underperformance compared to Japan has changed little in 

the past five years, while China is catching up fast. In contrast, 

the EU still has a clear and steady lead over India and Brazil. 

“This scoreboard provides invaluable evidence on trends in 

innovation performance,” said Commission Vice- President 

and Commissioner for Entrepreneurship and Industry Antonio 

Tajani and Research Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn. 

“The overall picture is positive, there are, however, some worrying 

signs and we will have to take this very seriously in developing 

the measures to accomplish what we just laid out in our Europe 

2020 strategy . Increasing investment in research and innovation 

is the key to moving from crisis to sustainable prosperity. That is 

why the Commission is maintaining the 3% of GDP target for R&D 

investment in Europe and proposing realistic national targets with 
robust monitoring.”  ❚ 

Internationalisation and innovation reinforce each other 

As in previous years, the 2009 EIS also looks at specific areas of innovation. This year, 
the topics reviewed are sectoral innovation performance, user innovation and 
internationalisation.

The report finds little difference in innovation performance between the 
manufacturing and service sectors, except that manufacturing tends to be more 
driven by R&D, which is related to the size of the firm, while service companies tend 
to innovate to meet demand and through the adoption of technology.

More than half of innovative firms are working with their customers to improve 
products, processes and services. Firms engaged in user innovation can be classed as 
‘super-innovators’ and they are more likely to introduce new products, processes or 
services and to perform (both intra- and extra-mural) R&D and apply for patents.

An exploratory study  shows a positive association between the innovation 
performance of a country and the degree to which it maintains business connections 
beyond its borders. Innovation and internationalisation may be mutually reinforcing. 
The key factors appear to be outward foreign direct investment, foreign students and 
foreign employees.

❯❯❯❯  Contact
Innovation Policy Development Unit 
Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry
entr-innovation-policy-development@ec.europa.eu

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12

Enterprise & Industry | June 2010 

SMEs and Entrepreneurship 

PROMOTING 
AND SUPPORTING 
ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Hundreds of events are being organised in 37 countries for the European SME Week 2010, which will 

mainly take place between 25 May and 1June, but will run throughout May and June. This initiative will 

showcase the support available to business at the European, national, regional and local level. Under the 

slogan ‘Training business champions’, it will also provide inspiration and practical help for the existing and 

future generations of entrepreneurs.

All 27 EU Member States are taking part in the European 

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Israel, 

SME Week 2010, along with Albania, Croatia, the 

Liechtenstein, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia and Turkey.

Available support

Events for 2010 have been organised to help SMEs and micro-firms 

share experiences and develop their businesses. Fairs, conferences 

and workshops, among other things, will provide information on 

The European Commission is coordinating activities with a great 

European, national and local authority support programmes that 

deal of help ‘on the ground’ coming from business organisations, 

are designed to help growing SMEs and those planning to start a 

as well as national, regional and local authorities. 

business.

Activities will get underway at a launch event in Brussels, Belgium, 

There is also a special focus on promoting entrepreneurship as a 

where the winners of the European Entrepreneurship Video Award 

career option, especially for younger people. Some countries will 

2010 will be announced. The competition was open to film-makers 

run company open days, which will provide an insight into the 

who were asked to provide a short video exploring the nature of 

challenges and rewards of running a business.

entrepreneurship and ways to encourage more people to start up 

their own businesses.

Small business, big results

In addition, the European SME Week will be an opportunity to 

recognise the work of entrepreneurs and SMEs and the contribution 

they make to Europe’s economic competitiveness, along with their 

pivotal roles in generating jobs and building innovative capacity.

First held in 2009, European SME Week builds on last year’s success 

and is central to the European Commission’s actions to support 

Road to recovery

small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly through the 

EU’s Small Business Act (SBA) . Adopted in 2008, the Act calls on 

the Union and its Member States to develop an environment 

“within which entrepreneurs and family businesses can thrive and 

entrepreneurship is rewarded”.

SMEs are the primary engines of growth and wealth creation in Europe: 

more than 99% of all European businesses are classed as SMEs, and 

they provide two-thirds of all private-sector jobs. The SBA recognises 

their key role in the EU economy and puts a policy framework in place 

The week will close in Madrid, Spain, with a high-level conference 

on 31 May-1 June entitled ‘Getting SMEs on the road to recovery’. 

The conference will address the difficulties faced by businesses 

during the recent recession while showcasing good practice 

generated through the implementation of the SBA.

It will also announce the winners of this year’s European Enterprise 

Awards, which seek to identify and reward excellence among local 

authorities that promote entrepreneurship and small businesses.

which aims to support and nurture their growth. The objective is to 

The European Commission has revamped its website to promote 

‘Think Small First’  in all areas of policy-making which affect SMEs.

European SME Week. As well as being packed with the latest 

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information on events around Europe, the website provides 

interactive tools, such as a twitter sub-site, which will allow event 

organisers and participants to report on the week’s activities.

The website also enables event organisers to register on-line 
through an easy-to-use registration form.  ❚

Inspirational stories

As part of the European SME Week 2010, the Commission is producing the 2010 edition of ‘The secret of success’ brochure, which showcases some of the many faces of 
European entrepreneurship.

Those featured have battled the odds to establish thriving businesses across a range of sectors. The stories have been selected to inspire budding entrepreneurs to have 
a go and start their own businesses. All 36 entrepreneurs have been invited to the opening of the European SME week in Brussels on 25 May.

Among these, Kath Sutherland from the UK has developed training and consultancy services that help disabled people to start their own businesses. Sutherland, who is 
herself disabled, set up her company, START (Ability), in 1999. She provides one-to-one support to individuals who need intensive assistance to realise their goals and 
offers tailored equality training to a range of organisations. 

One of Sutherland’s major successes has been to develop a resource guide to help disabled people through the intricacies of becoming self-employed. The guide builds 
on one of Sutherland’s core skills, which is her ability to adapt key business documents into plain language.

Miguel Pina is the 25-year-old president of Science4You, a Portuguese company that specialises in making scientific toys for kids. The company also runs workshops and 
designs programmes for science museums, all with the aim of getting children interested in science.

The Lisbon-based venture started out as a collaboration between business students and is still dominated by young people – all nine employees are under 30 years of 
age. The company’s products are now being sold all over Portugal through a number of large, well-known chains and via smaller retail outlets. Expansion into Spain and 
Brazil is the next step for this dynamic company.

The brochure will be downloadable from the European SME Week website from 25 May onwards.

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❯❯❯❯    Contact
Entrepreneurship Unit 
Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry
entr-entrepreneurship@ec.europa.eu
European SME Week: www.ec.europa.eu/sme-week
Closing event in Madrid: www.ec.europa.eu/enterprise/SBAconference2010 
The Small Business Act: www.ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/small-business-act
EU SME policy: www.ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme

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14

Enterprise & Industry | June 2010 

SMEs and Entrepreneurship 

ERASMUS FOR 
ENTREPRENEURS GETS 
OFF TO A GOOD START

Now in its second year, the Erasmus for Young 

Entrepreneurs programme has approved more 

than a thousand applications from would-be 

entrepreneurs to spend time working with an 

Launched in February 2009, the programme has approved more 

than 1 500 applications from both new entrepreneurs and their 

prospective hosts. Applications are handled and matches brokered 

by more than 160 intermediary organisations across the EU, which 

are coordinated by a European support office currently managed 

by EUROCHAMBRES, the European association of Chambers of 

experienced business person in another EU country. 

Commerce and Industry. Financial support for the stay is provided 

Ninety have already completed their stay abroad  

and participants comment on their experience, 

by the European Commission.

By mid April 2010, the scheme had received 2 088 applications from 

all 27 EU countries, of which 1 430 were from new entrepreneurs 

with positive and interesting feedback. The new 

and 658 from host entrepreneurs. 

entrepreneurs are now well placed to do business 

within the wider EU market. 

The share of female entrepreneurs among the start-ups is promising 

as, with 39%, it is clearly above the current EU average. With around 

15% of new entrepreneurs indicating that their business has a 

“green” dimension, more and more start-ups are including corporate 

social responsibility aspects in their business model.

Starting out in business is always tough but the way can 

be smoothed if the would-be entrepreneur can turn to an 

experienced colleague who has done it before. That is the 

thinking behind Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs. This programme, 

launched by the European Commission in the framework of 

the Small Business Act, aims to promote entrepreneurship by 

connecting novice entrepreneurs with a long-established SME 

business person in another EU country.

The highlight is a stay of between one and six months in which the 

new entrepreneur works alongside their host. Not only does the 

newcomer learn about the realities of business in their chosen field 

but he or she also gains an appreciation of the opportunities offered 

by the wider market within the European Union.

“During these difficult economic times we need to unlock the huge 

potential of start-up entrepreneurs and stimulate them to take 

the final step and set up a new enterprise”, said Antonio Tajani, 

European Commission Vice-President in charge of Industry and 

Setting up in architecture

Jaime Paez Maña is an architect based in Santander in northern Spain. He wanted to 
give a newcomer to architecture the benefit of his 20 years’ experience in running a 
practice and also bring in some new ideas. Erasmus matched him up with Leonardo 
Candaten, a young architect from Italy who was keen on starting his own business.

In his four-month stay in Santander, Candaten learned about office and site 
management, practical architecture, structural calculation and budgeting, as well 
as how to meet clients and suppliers. He also picked up ideas on how to start his 
own practice. In return, Paez Maña learned about Italian architectural techniques, 
acquired new software skills and discovered how to submit work to current 
architectural competitions.

“It was a fantastic, unique opportunity that has allowed me to understand what 
steps I need to take to open my own studio”, said Candaten.

Entrepreneurship. “They gain a unique opportunity to learn from 

experienced colleagues so that their business ideas can become a 

reality. We need more SMEs to get out of the current crisis. They are 

creating most new jobs and are the driving force of our economy.”

“Working with and learning from a new entrepreneur was a fantastic way of giving 
energy to my studio”, said Paez Maña. “It has provided a great opportunity for 
future collaborations and has allowed me to extend my work into the job market in 
another country.”

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Luca Poli from Italy travelled to Spain to be mentored by Francine Huaman: both entrepreneurs found the exchange useful.

Benefiting from the scheme

In a survey of participants who had completed the scheme, 92% 

of new entrepreneurs said their objectives were fully or largely 

met and 94% of host entrepreneurs agreed. Likewise, 92% of new 

entrepreneurs said their host had contributed to the development 

of their business and 83% of hosts repaid the compliment.

Even if all was not entirely rosy (20 visitors said that the financial 

assistance was not enough to cover their travel, accommodation and 

subsistence costs), 96% of new entrepreneurs would recommend the 

programme. Benefits of their participation most frequently mentioned 

by respondents include: useful knowledge for their (future) company; 

better understanding of how to manage an SME; insight into a 

different cultural and organisational setting, and a broadened network 

of contacts. From their side, more than 80% of host entrepreneurs 

indicate they would like to participate in the programme again.

In addition, feedback indicates that the first results from the 

programme in promoting entrepreneurship seem encouraging: 

of the visitors, 32% were entrepreneurs before the stay, 12% had 

subsequently started a business, and 42% intended to start one 

either immediately or within the next 12 months.  

Now into its second year, the scheme is open to anyone who has 

set up a business in the past three years or has firm plans to do so. 

Applications from businesses willing to host young entrepreneurs 
are also welcome. ❚

Tourism exchange

Joseph Bugeja runs Globalair, a family-owned business in Malta. The company 
specialises in services for visitors to Malta, organising conference and event 
management, language schools and personal travel. Bugeja applied to the Erasmus 
for Young Entrepreneurs scheme in the hope of expanding his company into new 
markets and opening it up to new ideas.

He was paired up with Alena Seginkova, from Slovakia, who wanted to set up her 
own tourism business following a career as a financial adviser and business manager.

Seginkova worked at Globalair on internal company management, marketing and 
client affairs and also worked on a pilot project to develop ecotourism. The four-
month exchange helped her to acquire international contacts, too. “This experience 
and networking will definitely help me when I set up my own business in Slovakia”, 
she said.

“The programme is of great benefit to the company,” continued Bugeja. “It is creating 
future opportunities for collaboration in the tourism sector between Malta and the 
international market.”

❯❯❯❯    Contact
Entrepreneurship Unit
Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry
entr-entrepreneurship@ec.europa.eu 
www.erasmus-entrepreneurs.eu
www.ec.europa.eu/enterprise/e_i/news/article_8811_en.htm

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16

Enterprise & Industry | June 2010 

Innovation 

BOLSTERING EUROPE’S 
CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

Europe’s creative industries are becoming evermore important to the rest of the economy. 

This broad sector covers a variety of disciplines, but its fragmentation is a challenge to 

policy-makers in terms of providing support. A recent workshop supported the creation 

of a European platform for the creative industries, while the European Commission is 

working to develop new tools that can help the sector realise its full potential.

The creative industries defy tight definition as 

business disciplines that have both a cultural 

they bring together a diverse collection of 

and economic impact on European life. 

the European Commission recognised the innovative 

capacity of creative industries while noting their 

economic potential. 

In addition, creative industries were identified as one of 

Advertising and public relations, architecture and web 

the most dynamic emerging sectors in world trade. 

and graphic design sit beside the performing arts, 

publishing and software development. The sector also 

Workshop recommendations

covers music, arts and antiques, crafts and fashion 

design, as well as film, TV and radio production. 

Many of these sub-sectors are commercially oriented 

and are crucial to the well-being of other areas of the 

EU economy. 

But how can policy-makers at all levels best support 

such an important, if nebulous, sector? This question 

was addressed at a workshop held in Amsterdam 

in February and entitled: ‘Towards a Pan-European 

initiative in support of innovative creative industries 

For example, architecture plays a key role in the 

in Europe’.

construction industry; computer game and software 

development is vital for the health of the ICT sector; 

and fashion design is indispensable to the clothing and 

textiles industry.

Fresh ideas

Creative industries innovate by bringing fresh ideas and 

new ways of thinking to a European economy which 

is increasingly characterised by the customisation of 

products and services. 

This capacity for services innovation combined with 

their ‘spillover’ into other areas of business means that 

the creative industries are vital to the long-term health 

and competitiveness of the entire economy.

The event was organised by the European Commission 

and co-hosted by the City of Amsterdam, the European 

Design Centre, the Association of Dutch Designers and 

IIP Create, a Dutch network for creative industries. 

Around 70 innovation experts and representatives from 

the creative industries attended the event. They took part 

in discussions that centred around how best to link their 

sector with other industries in a way that would benefit 

the development of Europe’s knowledge-based economy.

The outcome was the adoption of ‘The Amsterdam 

Declaration’ which calls for Europe to take full 

advantage of the creative industries’ potential. 

By doing this, creative industries will become an 

enormous asset to Europe which can be turned into 

In a recently published Staff Working Document, 

a competitive advantage and lead to the creation of 

‘Challenges for EU support to innovation in services’, 

new, high-quality jobs.

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Those signing the declaration have urged the 

European Commission to develop new or better policy 

   Developing new cluster concepts: the platform 
could foster co-operation and networking while 

incentives and practical tools that can strengthen this 

developing a plan to establish links between clusters 

creative sector. 

at European level.

The declaration says that the European Commission, 

Member States and regions must do all they can to 

   Nurturing business and innovation support services: 
activities could include developing and trialling 

promote clusters and develop financing techniques and 

voucher schemes that provide businesses with 

foresight activities that will help nurture the sector and 

access to expertise and creativity. The platform 

unlock its innovative potential.

could also seek out and promote knowledge 

Making a stand

transfer mechanisms for the sector, such as creative 

brokerage facilities for SMEs.

Perhaps one of the most important aspects of the 

document is its support for a Commission initiative to 

   Improving access to finance: the ECIA could help by 
identifying European financing opportunities and by 

develop a European platform for the creative industries.

creating a database of business angels and venture 

The ‘European Creative Industries Alliance’ (ECIA) would 

bring together policy-makers and stakeholders from all 

levels to devise better tools and policies for the sector. 

The ECIA would act as a counterweight to the 

fragmentation of the sector by providing a strategic 

overview of what Europe’s creative industries need to 

thrive in the global economy.

It would set a common agenda for the creative 

industries and ensure that existing funds are used more 

efficiently while stimulating public and private partners 

to do more to support the sector’s growth. 

capital funds. In addition, the platform would 

have the profile to arrange international events to 

raise funds for creative industries and ‘matchmake’ 

businesses with international investors. 

Other duties could include awareness-raising via the 

development of an ECIA website for stakeholders, 

a European award to showcase best practice, 

and the identification of creative industry ambassadors.

The platform proposal represents the first large-scale 

sectoral initiative on services innovation at European 

level. The European Commission will shortly publish 

a Green Paper setting out a process of consultation 

Potentially, such a platform could generate a large 

number of new research and innovation support 

on the ECIA and other actions that aim to unlock the 
potential of the creative industry sector.  ❚

programmes for the creative industries while mobilising 

about €100 million in public and private capital for the 

sector’s development.

A policy forum will deliver policy recommendations for 

the ECIA, with a particular focus in five key areas:

   Developing framework conditions and foresight: 
the platform could help deal with issues such as 

guaranteeing appropriate payment for professional 

content creators and the protection of intellectual 

copyright. 

   Assessing research and skills needs: the platform 
could help to develop a roadmap to examine the 

sector’s research and skills needs.

❯❯❯❯    Contact
‘Support for Innovation’ Unit
Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry
Entr-support-for-innovation@ec.europa.eu

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Enterprise & Industry | June 2010 

Innovation 

GO DIGITAL! 
PROMOTING ESKILLS 
IN EUROPE

The success of the European economy is linked to 

in Italy’s regions. 

information and communication technologies (ICT) 

which means that an ever-increasing number of 

e-skilled workers are required. If the EU is to be more 

Focusing on 

schools and 

coordinating 

with regional 

organisations, 

competitive, then it must do everything in its power 

a proactive campaign 

to ensure that highly skilled ICT jobs are filled. With 

this in mind, the first European e-Skills Week took 

place from 1 to 5 March 2010, with a large number 

was launched to 

encourage involvement 

in the event and to gain 

media coverage. The campaigns 

in Denmark, Sweden and Norway focused on showing that ICT is 

of activities taking place across Europe. The initiative 

fun, is taught on interesting courses, leads to good jobs, and is the 

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culminated on Friday 5 March in Brussels with the 

‘Go digITal’ closing event, which looked back at 

the week’s successes and forward to what more 

needs to be done.

Over 200 events took place in 35 countries as part of 

opportunity to gather first impressions of how the 

European e-Skills Week. The closing event offered an 

campaign had gone and to look at ways to build on it in the future. 

Attracting young people 

It is predicted that, within five years, there will be a growing 

shortage of highly skilled ICT professionals in Europe due to a 

decrease in the number of applicants for ICT-related programmes, 

especially amongst women. The task is, therefore, to improve the 

image of ICT education and careers, encourage young people 

and increase the talent pool with a view to boosting productivity, 

efficiency and competitiveness. 

Presentations made during the session on best practices 

demonstrated the possible ways to go about organising successful 

awareness raising activities. Laura Franchesi from the Italian 

education agency ANSAS provided an overview of actions taken 

future. A programme of exciting events was devised: it included an 

exhibition which offered the opportunity to play with technology; 

visits to schools; and the creation of an e-skills technology tent in 

the centre of Oslo.

The common thread between all of these activities is that they 

aimed to capture the imagination of young people and try to 

encourage them to think of a career in ICT. The experiences show 

that young people react well to hands-on activities and to hearing 

e-Skills prize for entrepreneurship: the winners

The e-Skills prize for entrepreneurship was won by two Romanians: Cezar Ursan 
and Adrian Brudaru. Their Green Cell Phone Charger impressed the jury with its 
combination of practicality and environmental applications. It aims to solve the 
problem of your mobile phone running out of battery when you’re on the move. 
Not near a power socket? No need to fear. The charger uses energy that would 
otherwise be wasted – that produced as you walk – to recharge your battery, 
offering a carbon neutral way to charge your phone.

Cezar and Adrian say that the idea came to them over a pint of lager and that it struck 
them as a fun way to save money and help the environment. The device is attached 
to the user’s shoe and, as they walk, converts mechanical energy into electrical 
energy, charging a 3.7 volt battery – the standard in most mobile phones. So far only 
two prototypes have been made, but the inventors are looking into the practicalities 
of mass producing their product and unlocking its commercial potential.

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the personal stories of ICT professionals who are relatively close 

putting the plan into action – presented an e-skills manifesto and 

to their own ages. Getting the issue of e-skills onto the political 

said that filling skills shortages and gaps need to be prioritised. 

and media agenda is not always easy, but large-scale and unusual 

The ICT industry in the UK is not in recession and companies 

actions are more likely to succeed. Event organisers also reiterated 

using ICT also offer an opportunity to boost employment rates. 

the need to start preparing well in advance and to be proactive in 

Thinking ahead is key to ensuring that Europe is not left behind – 

alerting the press – a press pack CD created by the team in Romania 

and focusing on e-skills is a vital way to do this. e-Skills UK is a very 

is a good example of how to go about this.

good example of how to foster partnership between the public and 
the private sector to promote e-skills.  ❚

Ensuring sustainability and competitiveness

A key theme of the European e-Skills Week  was the fact that we 

are living in a fast-changing world with an accelerating pace of ICT 

innovation, and our enterprises need to reflect that. It is estimated 

that only 10% jobs will not require e-skills five years from now and 

Competition rewards young entrepreneurs and innovators

it is expected that 60% of five-year-old children today will work 

in jobs that do not currently exist. The need for well-trained ICT 

professionals can only continue to increase. It is, therefore, vital that 

solutions are put in place to get more young people to study the 

subject and its related fields. The results of a project led by INSEAD 

on European e-competence curricula development guidelines  were 

presented during the European e-Skills Week. It aims to increase the 

A highlight of the closing event was the presentation of awards in six categories, 
demonstrating the wealth of possible practical applications for ICT skills. Finalists 
were invited to the ceremony and, later in the day, given the opportunity to talk 
about their ideas in a more intimate workshop setting. The awards recognised both 
young people and teachers, whose inventive use of ICT shows what can be done if 
you apply e-skills to a range of situations. 

attractiveness, the quality and the relevance of ICT curricula.

Details of all prize winners can be found on the European e-Skills Week website.

Speakers from the United Kingdom explained how ICT is being 

made a priority, especially with regards to encouraging 14-19 year 

olds to enter the field. A strategic plan is being implemented in 

the UK that includes the promotion of specific degrees to make 

students job-ready when they leave university and an initiative 

to ‘upskill’ the workforce. Nigel Payne from e-Skills UK – the body 

❯❯  ❯❯  Contact
ICT for Competitiveness and Innovation Unit 
Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry
entr-ict-for-comp-and-innovation@ec.europa.eu
http://eskills-week.ec.europa.eu

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Enterprise & Industry | June 2010 

Innovation 

THE FLOOR TO IRINI PARI

INNOVATION 
THROUGH DESIGN

Irini Pari with James Ennis, the winner of the Design ZeroNine competition.

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Irini Pari, vice-president of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), speaks to our magazine 

about the importance of design for the European economy and society.

What is the role of design in EU policy, particularly innovation policy? 

into how sustainable design is perceived and practised all over 

The European Union was created to ensure prosperity and a better 

Europe, and gave all those young designers the opportunity to 

quality of life for its citizens. If we want Europe to stay ahead and 

work around Europe and its values, to turn their ideas into concrete 

maintain its international competitive position, if we want Europe 

products. Finally, with this competition, the EESC succeeded in 

to be a good place to live in, innovation and creativity are vital. 

addressing a double challenge: that of fostering sustainable, 

Innovation and creativity are factors that promote growth and 

innovative and creative design, and investing in sustainable public 

prosperity in Europe. This is where design comes in. We need 

procurement by promoting a new, environmentally friendly form of 

creative minds to respond to the demands of our world and even 

promotional gift.

sometimes as a driving force for a better future. We cannot develop 

the EU further without facing the upcoming challenges at all levels. 

We cannot ensure a better quality of life, if we do not support 

creative processes that lead to innovation. 

What can design contribute, both directly and indirectly, 

to the EU economy? 

If you look back at the history of design, it has always been closely 

related to the economy. Since emerging during the 19th century’s 

How did you come up with the idea for the EESC’s competition 

Industrial Revolution, design has brought together the values of 

‘Design ZeroNine for a Sustainable Present’ and what did you 

art, craftsmanship and mass production. Design means creating 

hope to achieve? 

products with the clear aim of selling them. But design is not 

We wanted to celebrate the European Year of Creativity and 

merely about economics – the creative and innovative aspect gives 

Innovation 2009, so in our Committee , in co-operation with 

a human face to the economy. The designer’s task is not only to 

Designed in Brussels, we were creative and innovative by launching 

develop a new product but to come up with more useful, more 

the EESC Design ZeroNine competition in art schools  in all 27 EU 

functional and even more beautiful products. Those creations 

Member States. It is the first time that a European institution has 

should also provide better services, be more ergonomic and 

organised a competition like this and we are very happy that it was 

easier to use.

such a great success. Especially in the year when the Copenhagen 

climate summit took place, we also wanted to stress the importance 

of environmental protection and energy efficiency. So, the idea was 

to reduce the very complex topic of climate change and sustainable 

Well-designed products favour cheap mass production but the 

artistic approach brings an added value and thus more profit for 

companies.

development to a very simple and concrete idea. Young designers 

If you put this all into the European context, it means that the EU 

were invited to create an innovative design product that could be 

economy cannot only be profit-driven but also needs to follow 

used by the EESC as a promotional gift with a strong message.

humanitarian reasoning. In the EU, we need to follow our values to 

What were the competition’s greatest successes? 

First of all, the competition owes its great success to the talent, 

inspiration, work and commitment of young European designers 

from 24 Member States. Second, the level of participation, in terms 

of eligible projects, geographical distribution and gender balance 

was impressive. In addition, this competition gave a general insight 

ensure a better life for our citizens – in all fields and in every respect. 
Design can contribute to achieving these aims in a very crucial way.  ❚

❯❯    Contact
European Economic and Social Committee
press@eesc.europa.eu
www.eesc.europa.eu

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Enterprise & Industry | June 2010

21

THE ENTERPRISE EUROPE NETWORK IN ACTION

THINKING SMALL, 
ACTING BIG 

In a new series, E&I magazine looks at how the Enterprise Europe Network helps European SMEs 

do business in the single market and beyond. 

The Enterprise Europe Network helps European companies 

to do business beyond national and EU borders, calling on 

its 3 000 experts based in 570 branches in 46 countries. The 

latest branches to join the network are in South Korea and Mexico.

Since its launch in 2008, the network has provided information 

and services to more than 3 million SMEs. In that time, its member 

organisations have organised nearly 10 000 events and information 

Jane Watters, a network adviser based at Scottish Enterprise, 

teamed up with Serdal Temel, her counterpart at the Ege University 

Science and Technology Centre in Turkey. Together, they lined up 

a three-day programme of interviews in Turkey for Scotmas. Their 

work, and their client companies’ commitment, has blossomed into 

five commercial and technical agreements and the opening of a 

small production plant in Izmir. 

days, bringing together more than 400 000 companies, often from 

Over the months, Temel has used his local expertise to help the 

different countries.

Some 3 000 staff members have conducted over 50 000 technology 

and business reviews to help firms license the right technology 

and locate the best business partners. Thanks to the network, small 

companies have signed more than 1 500 technology and business 

co-operation agreements to date.

Scottish business. On one occasion, he even went to the airport 

to help smooth over a customs misunderstanding and release 

impounded Scotmas goods. “For the first year we were in Turkey, 

I came to see Dr Serdal as almost an honorary employee of 
Scotmas”, says Cameron.  ❚

The network pools its expertise in key industries in 18 sector groups, 

ranging from intelligent energy to nanotechnology. They provide 

The network online

companies with customised support and sector-specific events. In 

addition, network branches have access to two powerful databases 

to help companies: one for business partnerships and the other for 

technology transfer. These databases now contain around 20 000 

company and technology profiles. 

Making waves in water treatment

Fewer than one in 10 European small businesses trade beyond their 

own national borders, according to the Observatory of European 

SMEs. This is mainly due to their lack of knowledge of foreign 

markets. So when Scottish firm Scotmas set its sights on marketing 

its water treatment, hygiene and environmental care products in 

Turkey, it needed the right kind of support to bridge the business 

culture gap.

As the company has experience working abroad, it is well aware 

of the importance of having a local contact as a first stepping 

stone when entering a new market, says Scotmas director Alistair 

Cameron. This is why he decided to turn to the Enterprise Europe 

Network for help locating a partner in Turkey. 

Launched in February, the Enterprise Europe Network’s powerful new website is 
packed full of exciting features. It explains how the network supports SMEs. In 
addition to an in-depth presentation of the services the network offers enterprises, 
an interactive map helps SMEs locate the branch nearest them.

Firms looking to license out their technology or acquire other companies’ innovations 
can consult the ‘technology market’, which currently contains over 13 000 offers and 
requests.

Brokerage events that SMEs can take part in to find potential partners are listed 
in the events calendar, while those seeking inspiration should visit the regularly 
updated ‘success stories’ section, to see how the network has helped businesses in 
similar industries or situations.

❯❯❯❯   Contact
Enterprise Europe Network
ec.europa.eu/enterprise-europe-network

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Enterprise & Industry | June 2010 

News in brief & upcoming events

NEWS IN BRIEF

ENTERPRISING 
REGIONS

The  winners  of  the  first  European 

Entrepreneurial  Regions  (EER)  awards 

were  announced  in  February  2010. The 

regions  which  walked  away  with  the 

prizes were Brandenburg (DE), Catalonia 

(ES),  County  Kerry  (IE),  Murcia  (ES), 

Trnava (SK) and Uusimaa/Helsinki (FI). 

www.ec.europa.eu/enterprise/e_i/

news/article_10003_en.htm

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MILESTONE FOR SAFE ELECTRIC CARS
The United Nations has passed the first international regulation on the safety of electric cars, 

including  hybrids.  The  European  Commission  has  welcomed  this  decision  as  the  first  step 

towards facilitating the early roll-out of entirely safe electric cars onto our roads. The regulation 

outlines  how  manufacturers  should  protect  car  users  against  the  high  voltages  –  typically 

around 500 volts – used to operate electric vehicles.

www.ec.europa.eu/enterprise/newsroom/cf/itemlongdetail.cfm?item_id=4104&lang=en

AN INNOVATION 
BOOST 

Since  its  launch  in  2007,  the  EU’s  six-

year Entrepreneurship and Innovation 

Programme  (EIP)  has  given  Europe 

a  significant  innovation  boost.  Over 

50 000 enterprises have already taken 

advantage  of  its  financial  guarantee 

scheme  and  more  than  11  000  SME 

co-operation  agreements  have  been 

put forward. 

www.ec.europa.eu/enterprise/e_i/

news/article_9975_en.htm

SAFE PRODUCTS IN THE SINGLE 
MARKET
A  package  of  reforms  is  gradually  being  implemented  so  as 

MICROFINANCE FACILITY 
TO CREATE NEW JOBS
In  response  to  the  recession  and  rising  joblessness  across 

to  help  businesses  and  consumers  benefit  fully  from  the  EU’s 

Europe,  EU  employment  and  social  affairs  ministers  agreed 

single  market  for  goods.  In  January  2010,  the  components  of 

a  €100-million  European  Microfinance  Facility,  which  could 

the  package  relating  to  accreditation  and  market  surveillance 

leverage  up  to  €500  million  in  loans  to  help  the  unemployed 

entered into force. Market surveillance is crucial to ensuring the 

and small entrepreneurs – especially those who cannot normally 

quality  and  safety  of  products  in  circulation, 

obtain credit – start their own businesses. 

and  provides  a 

level  playing  field  for 

www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP

economic operators.

/10/244&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLangua

www.ec.europa.eu/enterprise/e_i/

ge=en

news/article_10099_en.htm

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News in brief & upcoming events 

Enterprise & Industry | June 2010

23

A NEW DECADE, A NEW STRATEGY
Following  a  broad  stakeholder  consultation,  the  European 

Commission  has  proposed  its  new ‘Europe  2020’  strategy,  which 

will  provide  a  road  map,  over  the  next  decade,  for  economic 

recovery, as well as growth that is smart, green and inclusive. The 

proposal includes a series of flagship initiatives and involves action 

at  EU,  national,  regional  and  local  levels. “Europe  2020  is  about 

what we need to do today and tomorrow to get the EU economy 

back on track”, said European Commission President José Manuel 

Barroso.

www.ec.europa.eu/eu2020

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❯❯❯❯    Find out more…
 For information on further recent activities and policy 
developments related to Enterprise and Industry, 
visit our website: 
www.ec.europa.eu/enterprise

UPCOMING EVENTS

  Getting SMEs on the road 
to recovery, 
31 May-1 June, Madrid 

In the context of the Small Business Act, this conference is the closing 

event of European SME Week 2010 and will present good practice 

in getting Europe on the road to economic recovery through SMEs. 

The event will revolve around a number of workshops focusing on 

entrepreneurship, the business environment, benefiting from the 

appropriate good practices and potential mechanisms accordingly, 

and its conclusions and recommendations will be presented at this 

conference.

www.ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/tourism/calypso/2010/

meeting4 

    Europe INNOVA annual partnering 
event, 14-16 June, Copenhagen

single market, and more. The annual European Enterprise Awards 

This year’s Europe INNOVA annual partnering event, co-organised 

– which reward excellence among public authorities in promoting 

with EPISIS INNO-Net, will focus on how innovation in services can 

entrepreneurship  and  small  business  –  ceremony  will  also  take 

act as a catalyst for the EU’s new ‘Europe 2020’ strategy. The event 

place during this closing event.

will address the topic from both the policy and SME perspectives.

www.ec.europa.eu/enterprise/SBAconference2010

www.europe-innova.org

     The Calypso study: 
recommendations and conclusions,  
10-11 June, Mallorca 

     European minerals conference,  
16-17 June, Madrid

Under  the  auspices  of  the  Spanish  presidency  of  the  EU,  the 

Social tourism is tourism for all and gives specific target groups, such 

European  Minerals  Conference  2010  will  provide  stakeholders 

as senior citizens, youths and disabled citizens more opportunities 

with  the  opportunity  to  discuss  the  follow-up  to  the  European 

of travelling, thereby strengthening European solidarity. Calypso’s 

Commission’s Communication of 2008 on a Raw Materials Initiative: 

work  programme  includes  promoting  social  tourism  as  a  means 

a special focus will be on sustainable access to resources from an 

to facilitate tourism in low seasons, thus extending the seasonality 

industrial, land planning and environmental standpoint.

spread,  stimulating  economic  growth,  and 

improving 

local 

www.eu2010.es/en/agenda/seminarioscongresosyconf/

economies.  The  EU-funded  Calypso  study  has  been  analysing 

evento21.html 

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ENTERPRISE & INDUSTRY magazine

The Enterprise & Industry on-line magazine provides regular updates on policy development, 

on  legislative  proposals  and  their  passage  to  adoption,  and  on  the  implementation  and 

review  of  regulation  affecting  enterprises.  Articles  cover  issues  related  to  SMEs,  innovation, 

entrepreneurship, the Single Market for goods, competitiveness and environmental protection, 

industrial policies across a wide range of sectors, and more. In short, it addresses all EU policies 

under the responsibility of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enterprise and 

Industry.

Three  times  a  year,  the  best  of  the  on-line  articles,  together  with  a  feature  article,  are 

presented in the printed edition of the magazine. You can subscribe to receive the magazine –

in English, French or German – free of charge by post. Visit the website and subscribe on-line.

Visit the magazine website to find out more: 
www.ec.europa.eu/enterprise/e_i

On the site, you can sign up to receive notification of all new articles through the RSS feed.

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