Textiles, Fashion and Creative Industries
In spite of the steady fall in its market share over the last ten years, as a consequence of the dramatic growth of very dynamic regions like Asia and the global economic crisis, Europe continues to play a central role in the global tourism market.
On 1 October 2012, the Commission signed an ad hoc grant agreement to support an 18 month programme of joint activities with the ETC in long haul markets.
The European Commission has launched various actions to promote Europe in international markets.
You can share with us your thoughts and ideas on the issues related to industrial competitiveness
Following the Communication on cultural and creative sectors late September, Commission services have published two Staff Working Documents on the fashion and high-end industries.
The tourism industry sector is resisting the crisis quite well. Its contribution to the economic development is therefore very important. Fostering tourism services accessible to everyone will help attracting more tourists, all year round.
DG Enterprise and Industry released today the "Study on the impact of EU policies and the measures undertaken in their framework on Tourism".
Europe needs to reverse the declining role of industry for the 21st century with the aim to deliver sustainable growth, create high-value job and solve societal challenge that we face. Immediate action should contribute to reverse the current downward trend from its current level of 15.6% of EU GDP to as much as 20% by 2020.
Complaints are often aired about the red tape created by European law. We want to cut red tape and we can. However, there is a definite lack of concrete proposals to reduce this burden. With this in mind, the European Commission is calling upon businesses: "Let us know what could be done better - we would like your ideas for reducing red tape!".
The objective of the present call for proposals is to support eligible countries’ National Administrations in charge of tourism, or other public bodies corresponding to the definition set up in point 5.2 of the call text [...]
The tourism industry is resisting the crisis quite well. Its contribution to the economic development is therefore very important and could be improved by overcoming seasonality and offering new concepts.
The European Commission invites you to provide feedback on a Draft Guide on Human Rights and SMEs.
The European Commission has made a number of initiatives and programmes available to ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – widely recognised as being the backbone of the European economy – continue to thrive during this time of financial hardship.
Can public sector innovation generate growth? This question is of major significance given the current economic situation, where effective ways of creating growth are being explored. A recent survey provides interesting data from the business perspective on this topic, with many respondents putting improvements in public services for business down to innovation. There is also a high demand for public sector innovation and later this year the European Commission will pilot a Public Sector Innovation Scoreboard to help Member States exchange good practices.
In these difficult times of increasing unemployment, Europe needs more entrepreneurs. Whilst actually only 11% of European citizens are entrepreneurs, 45% would like to be their own boss if they could.
Thirty-seven examples of European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have achieved success on the international stage have just been unveiled in a publication as part of the European Commission’s drive to encourage entrepreneurship in Europe. 'The Secret of Success 2012-13' is a flagship publication for the European SME Week, which will be held from 15 to 21 October 2012. One of the aims of this event will be to promote entrepreneurship and inspire more European citizens to consider it as a viable career option.
If you are considering entering these markets or expanding your activities there, the European Commission offers two valuable programmes to help you to do so. Previous participants explain how their companies benefited from the Executive Training Programme (ETP) and the EU Gateway Programme.
Big multinational companies tend to secure the lion’s share of Europe’s media coverage, with lots of articles being written about their activities and plans. However, the reality is that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are a crucial driver for our economy, representing more than 98% of European businesses. SMEs can benefit from EU support in different forms and a recent guide presents a useful overview of the main opportunities available to them.