Today shortages of vocational skills have become a serious problem in many economic sectors. Consequently, Europe has to better match demand for and supply of skills.
The European Commission has today decided to request Italy and Romania to transpose EU rules on defence products (Directive 2009/43/EC) into national law, which these Member States should have done by 30 June 2011.
Europe is facing a severe economic crisis. But this situation and the changes are also an opportunity. We cannot let our industry simply leave Europe. It is a significant contributor to the real economy producing real values. Now, all efforts need to be undertaken to secure a modern, resource efficient, competitive and robust industry in Europe.
At a time of public budget constraints and increasing global competition it is time to put the focus on how we can boost our industrial competitiveness and innovation capacity to generate growth and create jobs in Europe.
Developing new policies to boost the competitiveness of European industry is the aim of a new public consultation, which is meant to provide input for the review of the industrial policy communication planned for September 2012. It will focus on developing a limited number of new initiatives that can deliver substantial results in the short-term.
Standards are a decisive tool in international competition. New lists of harmonised standards are now available: Electromagnetic compatibility, pressure equipment, radio and telecommunications terminal equipment and simple pressure vessels.
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in the European Union are of vital importance for economic growth. The Enterprise Europe Network is the world’s biggest business support network: in addition to providing SMEs with strategic services to enable cross-border co-operation, the Network offers valuable information and advice on how to access EU funding.
The European Commission today proposed new rules to ensure that European ships are only recycled in facilities that are safe for workers and environmentally sound.
The supply of raw materials, the lifeblood of today's high-tech industry, is increasingly under pressure. With a view to increasing Europe's own production, the European Commission has proposed today to set up a European Innovation Partnership on raw materials.
Following the Communication on the Social Business Initiative, the Commission decided to set up a new Commission Group of Experts entitled "Groupe d'Experts de la Commission sur l'entrepreneuriat social" ('GECES').
An overview of the main funding opportunities available to European SMEs. NEW January 2012 edition.
The purpose of this consultation is to collect views from all interested stakeholders on the future of European company law. All citizens and organisations are welcome to contribute.
EU27 trade in goods with China has grown significantly over the last decade. EU27 exports to China rose continuously from 26 billion euro in 2000 to 113 bn in 2010.
The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry has finalised the selection of three business sectors that will be the focus of a new, year-long project to develop sector-specific guidance on the corporate responsibility to respect human rights.
Translating Mineral Resource Wealth into Real Development for Africa
85% of net new jobs (1) in the EU between 2002 and 2010 were created by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). This figure is considerably higher than the 67%-share of SMEs in total employment. During this period, net employment in the EU's business economy rose substantially, by an average of 1.1 million new jobs each year.
