Following the European Commission blueprint for raising the contribution of industry to EU GDP from 15.2% to 20% by 2020, a conference on Industrial Policy on 6 June in Brussels will focus on progress made so far and what urgent further action can bring immediate benefits to help restore industrial growth.

It is time to check out on the reaction of public authorities and industry to this new impulse to put growth and job creation at the forefront of European priorities and industry as the main driver of economic recovery. The Conference will also unveil the next steps in the development of this new industrial policy that should help us raise contribution of industry to the European GDP.

Although we enjoy the free movement of goods in the internal market, more than 15 000 national technical regulations can make it difficult for enterprises to sell their products (from bicycles to foodstuffs) in other Member States.

However, there is a preventive tool which enables enterprises to anticipate the creation of such barriers to trade: the notification procedure under Directive 98/34/EC, which requires new technical regulations to be put on hold before being adopted in order to avoid obstacles to trade.

Counterfeiting activities account for over 200 billion Euro in losses for the world economy and it is estimated that such losses may climb further. They harm the European economy, as they damage legitimate business and starve innovation. And fake goods compete unfairly with genuine products, putting many jobs at risk in Europe. Counterfeiters are in the market for medicines, fashion goods, food products, automotive brakes, electrical appliances, cosmetics and our children's toys, to name but a few examples.

Construction companies wishing to expand their business to another EU Member State need to know the challenges they might face. Employment, environmental and safety requirements may differ, quite like those for construction materials and products.

In the past, trade barriers prevented the European construction products sector from fully exploiting the opportunities offered by the Single Market. But the Construction Products Regulation (CPR), which was adopted in 2011 and will be fully applied starting in July 2013, will simplify the legislative framework and help construction-related business flourish.

Who said that Space is boring and is it not fun for kids? All U Need Is Space, the first comic strip from the European Commission designed to bring young pupils closer to the benefits of space applications, is now available.

To be used in schools in 24 languages, the comic intends to make pupils understand how space technologies can improve their daily lives and how they can be applied in practical terms.

All U Need Is Space is about the daily life of a teenage schoolgirl named Elena.

The booklet will soon be available in 24 languages.