The EESC Consultative Commission on Industrial Change
Members of the Consultative Committee on Industrial Change (CCMI) of the European Economic and Social Committee met in Brussels on 1 July. The following opinions were discussed and adopted:
CCMI/077 The Impact of Industrial Changes on Employment
The future Belgian presidency has asked that this opinion be of a political nature and that it explore new areas for consideration. The future presidency's representatives wish the approach to the text to be horizontal and general as opposed to sector-based. It is not a study, but a political strategy. The future Belgian presidency plans to examine this opinion during an informal Council meeting of energy ministers.
The ecological and climate-related challenges underpin the statements made by the European Council in relation to the Copenhagen summit. The energy challenge is multi-faceted. European access to energy resources must be secured within the framework of the international policy of the EU and its Member States. This aspect is not addressed in the current opinion, which deals with energy challenges in the context of the industrial change caused by the fight against climate change, and in particular its effects on employment in Europe.
This opinion uses the term "green" to imply goods or production methods that tie in with a logic of sustainability and thus contribute to reaching the EU's objectives in the fight against global warming. The EESC argues in favour of greening the economy and, with regard to the labour market, creating a maximum number of green jobs, i.e. jobs that are of a high quality in terms both of the level of qualifications required and also of their capacity to secure social inclusion. The EESC would refer in this context to its October 2009 opinion on "flexicurity".
CCMI/072 Technology, Industrial and Science Parks
The EESC acknowledges the significance of the Technology, Industrial and Science Parks (TISPs) in the support of economic development and modernisation. The structures established support industrial change by the smart specialisation, concentration of resources and knowledge base.
The EU needs a more focused and integrated approach geared towards sustaining and developing the TISPs of the 21st century. Particularly in the crisis and post crisis context, a more comprehensive strategy should be followed, to capture the potential benefits of parks for economic growth and competitiveness. These actions have to be implemented with leadership and ambition on behalf of the EU.
It is advised to identify and develop synergies with the flagship EU initiatives in the field, particularly with the European Institute of Technology and Innovation and its Knowledge and Innovation Communities.
The development of new generations, a new form of parks has to be noticed and encouraged. The role of the parks in shaping the innovation structures should be promoted.
The regional dimension: in line with the subsidiarity principle, local governments’, agglomerations’ involvement in the development of TISPs should be strengthened. There is a need to improve networking activities between the actors of the public sector, the business community and the higher education institutions.
Cooperation with scientific institutions, especially universities and research institutes, as well as R&D aspects, are becoming more and more important in park development; however there is currently less cooperation with parks than there should be. Parks could serve in their function as bridges between the academia and the industry. The partnership with parks may be part of system of criteria for awarding the excellent universities.
The observatory – evaluation – accreditation activities in the field should be initiated and supported, together with the dissemination of good practices. Assessment and comparative empirical studies are required to frame concerted European and national policies and instruments related to park formation and growth. It is desirable to support the mapping of TISPs across Europe in the form of comprehensive database. This may facilitate collaborations among the parks by creating an interconnecting matrix that promotes connectivity to overcome regional barriers to growth.
The continuous professionalisation in the development and operation of the parks is acknowledged in the organisational-management, complex (regional) development aspects and also in the integration of the research component, the structured clustering approach and the quality element. Further enhancing the standards of operations of the parks remains however a requirement.
The EU offers possibilities for greater cohesion and catching up; we need to tap into more of the development potential which this offers and to keep track of it in the long term.
Vladimíra Drbalová
International Organisations and EU Affairs
EESC Member
