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CoR calls more focus on clusters in EU enterprise strategy
18.06.2008, 16:17
The Committee of the Regions (CoR) wants the EU to do more to promote 'clusters' - geographical concentrations of companies specialised in specific business sectors - as a key component of its enterprise strategy. The political assembly, meeting in Brussels today, called on the European Commission to remedy the "fragmented nature" of existing cluster building measures and proposed the setting of a high-level group to develop a strategic framework to encourage coordination between public administrations, universities, research centres and businesses in support of inter-cluster cooperation.
European Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen, responsible for enterprise and industry policy, was present to hear the recommendations, which appear in an opinion by Antonio González Terol, Director-General for European affairs for the Autonomous Community of Madrid (ES/EPP). The opinion, which was approved by CoR members, was also strongly endorsed by Esperanza Aguirre, the President of the Autonomous Community of Madrid (ES/EPP).
"The opinion drawn up by the Community of Madrid on clusters and cluster policy is fully in line with one of our Government's objectives: to strengthen innovation and boost innovative SMEs. This opinion enables us to help strengthen the EU's policy and to make proposals to ensure that the areas for action and financial instruments applied in this field are part of a broad strategic framework that encourages the development of competitive clusters," said Mrs Aguirre, who is also a CoR member.
The opinion was requested by the Slovenian Presidency of the EU following a call by the European Council at its meeting on 13-14 March for a more focused and coordinated approach to innovation through improved science-industry linkages, world-class innovation clusters and development of regional clusters and networks. The CoR is calling for its recommendations to be taken into account by the European Commission in its new communication on cluster policy, due for publication next month, and in the priorities of the forthcoming French Presidency, which is urged to explore new initiatives as part of the strategy on cluster policy.
Mr González Terol said the high-level group proposed in his opinion should be independent and chaired "by a person of European renown" in the field. It should include representatives from all the spheres involved: politics, administrations (particularly regional), businesses with experience in managing clusters, universities, research and technology institutes, financial bodies and other possible funding bodies including business angel networks and venture capital funds.
The opinion acknowledges the EU's weakness in turning ideas into new products and services, and recognises that new public policies must be adopted in order to facilitate networking between the different social players involved in creating, transmitting and applying knowledge.
It emphasises that the critical role of the public sector in creating an environment in which clusters can flourish, for instance by:
- simplifying administrative procedures for setting up and developing clusters;
- encouraging the creation of information and integrated service centres;
- Supporting cooperation between educational bodies and clusters, particularly by creating joint centres for specialised training;
- Facilitating coordination channels both within the cluster and with other clusters, and relations between clusters and public administrations;
- Fostering the development of opportunities for clusters externally, promoting their activity internationally and encouraging the creation of cross-border networks;
- Supporting and stepping up private initiatives;
- Ensuring that the three levels of administration - Community, national and regional - must be interlinked, with the regions playing a key role in defining and implementing policies to support clusters.
The opinion warns that public authorities should avoid creating clusters from scratch where they do not exist as creating them artificially is likely to end in failure. For the same reasons, it stresses that they should avoid artificially extending the lives of clusters "when markets and technologies have superseded them".