Competitiveness Report of the European Commission

Since 1998 WIFO coordinates studies commissioned by the European Commission analysing the competitiveness of the European Union and its member countries in the context of a major framework contract. The Directorate General for Growth (previously DG Enterprise and Industry) of the European Commission has published an annual European Competitiveness Report between 1998 and 2014. In 2015 this publication has been discontinued and from 2015 onwards has been replaced by the European Internal Market and Competitiveness Report reflecting the merger of the Directorate General for the Internal Market and the Directorate General for Enterprise and Industry. In the context of this framework contract WIFO and its partner institutes have produced background studies for these EC publications which have been and will be the major tangible output of this project.

The results of these studies next to the European Internal Market and Competitiveness Report form also other landmark publications of the European Commission such as the EU Industrial Structure Report or the Member State Competitiveness Report. They also provide crucial intelligence to the Council and the wider public about the state of competitiveness of industries in the EU economy. In addition, the findings are used to measure progress towards the Europe 2020 Strategy and the effects of structural reforms in EU member countries.

The research is carried out by a WIFO- led consortium of 20 specialised research institutes from 14 European countries. The current framework contract is in force for the years 2015 till 2018.

Published up to now

Studies on structural reforms in the EU member countries 2013-2018

Single Market and Competitiveness Report 2017/2018
Single Market and Competitiveness Report 2016/2017

Partners

AIT – Austrian Institute of Technology https://www.ait.ac.at/
BSI – The British Standards Institution https://www.bsigroup.com/de-AT/
CIREM – Center for International Research and Economic Modelling http://www.cepii.fr/cirem/en/presentation/cirem.htm
EBN – European Business and Innovation Center Network https://ebn.eu/
ECORYS – http://www.ecorys.com/
ESRI – Economic and Social Research Institute http://www.esri.ie/
KOF – Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich https://www.kof.ethz.ch/
ETLA – Research Institute of the Finnish Economy https://www.etla.fi/en/
FEEM – Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei https://www.feem.it/en/
IDEA – Idea Consult http://www.ideaconsult.be/
ifW – Kiel Institut für Weltwirtschaft https://www.ifw-kiel.de/
ivie – Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Economicas http://www.ivie.es/es_ES/
IWE – Institute of World Economics http://www.krtk.mta.hu/english/, http://www.vki.hu/eindex.shtml?setlang=english
NIESR – National Institute of Economic and Social Research https://www.niesr.ac.uk/
SPI – Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovação http://www.spi.pt/
CWS – Center für Wirtschaftspolitische Studien https://www.cws.uni-hannover.de/center.html
SGH – World Economy Research Institute https://ssl-kolegia.sgh.waw.pl/en/KGS/structure/IGS-KGS/Pages/default.aspx
VTT – Technical Research Center of Finland http://www.vttresearch.com/
wiiw – Wiener Institut für internationale Wirtschaftsvergleiche https://wiiw.ac.at/
ZEW – Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung http://www.zew.de/
 

Details

The Relationship Between Export and Technological Specialisation Profiles Across EU Countries and Regions and the Identification of Development Potentials
Studies, August 2015, 183 pages
This study has been prepared for the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME), under Specific Contract ENT-SME-14-F-S107-SI2-698839 implementing the Framework Service Contract ENTR/300/PP/2013/FC-WIFO on "Studies in the Area of European Competitiveness" coordinated by the Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO; coordinator: Andreas Reinstaller). This service contract is financed by the EU Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and SMEs (COSME).
Study by: Austrian Institute of Economic Research
Commissioned by: European Commission
 
The aim of this study is to analyse the development of new industrial specialisations and the process of export diversification both at the country and the regional level for the EU countries over time. It examines to what extent these processes show path dependent properties, whether persistent development trajectories can be shifted in order to avoid structural traps and what role related and unrelated diversification play for the economic performance of regions. Overall, the results of this report and its policy implications underscore that Smart Specialisation policies require a smooth coordination of a larger set of diverse policy measures that take into account both the local context and all the involved players rather than a perfect setup of single policies. In particular, the educational system, specialisation patterns in research and innovation, and foreign direct investments play a key role in diversification processes and should be a constitutive element of Smart Specialisation policies.
Keywords:TP_Europa_Wettbewerb TP_Wettbewerbsfaehigkeit_IndustrieStrukturpolitik
Research group:Industrial, Innovation and International Economics
Language:English

Related issues

Completed research studies
Commissioned by: European Commission
Study by: Austrian Institute of Economic Research
Closed: 2015
The aim of this study is to investigate the development of new industrial specialisations and the process of export diversification both at the country and the regional level for the EU countries over time. It will examine to what extent these processes show path dependent properties and whether capabilities to generate and absorb new knowledge can contribute to shift persistent development trajectories. Finally, the study will also provide insights on the diversification potentials across countries and regions in the EU.
Contact

Assoc. Prof. Michael Peneder

Research groups: Industrial, Innovation and International Economics