The EU’s Single Market turns 30 this year. Yet, how much do you know about the Single Market and the perks it brings day in, day out? It’s time to find out. Answer the questions and submit your answer to win one of 10 prizes of two rail passes to explore the single market and Europe’s rich cultural heritage for a month. Available in 23 languages.

On 1 June, The Commission welcomed the launch of the Unitary Patent system, which will make it simpler and easier for companies to protect their innovations in Europe and capitalise on their intellectual property. Less than a month after the launch, already over 2000 unitary patents have been requested, and over 1600 unitary patents issued. SMEs interested in obtaining a unitary patent can apply for funding from the SME Fund when they file their European patent application. Funds are limited and available on a first come, first served basis. More information here.

In this latest episode of Business Planet, Euronews travelled to the Netherlands to see how inventors will benefit from the European Unitary Patent system, which came into effect on 1 June. From solar panel projects to agricultural automation, Europe could see more innovation – and fast.

The summit discussed main trends and threats and allowed key players to share best practices and ways to improve protection and enforcement of IP rights in the EU and around the globe. It also focused on innovative solutions and new technologies, as well as the ways to further reinforce cooperation and information sharing to tackle IP crime, including how to further support SMEs. Participants also discussed about the upcoming Toolbox against counterfeiting, the Digital Services Act, the Recommendation on combating online piracy of sports and other live events. Click the 'More' button to watch the video recordings from the plenary sessions.

On 13 June, in Buenos Aires, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the President of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a partnership between the EU and Argentina on sustainable raw materials value chains. In line with the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, the agreement aims to ensure the development of a secure and sustainable supply of raw materials necessary for the clean energy and digital transition. It also aims to develop a sustainable raw materials industry, and to support the creation of local added value, quality employment and sustainable and inclusive economic growth, to the mutual benefit of both sides.

The 'Changemaker of the year' prize was awarded by Commissioner Johannes Hahn to an official of DG GROW at the first Commission Diversity & Inclusion Awards ceremony for her project to increase diversity and inclusion in European harmonised standards. The project is based on the realisation during the pandemic that facial masks were not fit for most women. As a result, over 4,000 standards in 22 pieces of EU legislation will be screened to see if they protect the whole population regardless of size, weight, origin or gender considerations.

On 9 and 10 June, around 9,000 young citizens from all over Europe and beyond gathered in Strasbourg to discuss Europe’s future and their place in it and in a more sustainable environment. DG GROW offered a session on entrepreneurship and support for (future) SMEs and held ‘meet the expert’ and ‘development corner’ sessions. In front of a full room of current and future entrepreneurs. DG GROW presented the various support schemes for (future) entrepreneurs. Discussions centred around the need for the next generation of founders to contribute to a sustainable future and what Europe has to offer them. The strong interest in the session and the constant flow of questions in the margins and during the individual meetings showed the interest of young people in contributing to a sustainable and digital Europe through entrepreneurship.

Whether you are an SME seeking growth capital, constructing large infrastructure such as a wind power plant or an urban sustainable heating network, or whether you are a university and private sector partner seeking advice on developing a student loan scheme, the InvestEU programme helps you access funding, provides advisory support, or combines both. Click the ‘More’ button to watch the video.

On 14 June, the European Solar PV Industry Alliance (ESIA) held its first Forum since the launch in Brussels in December 2022 by Commissioner Breton. Kerstin Jorna, Director-General of DG GROW, attended the ESIA Forum in Munich alongside the Intersolar Conference, the world’s leading exhibition for the solar industry, taking place annually at the Messe München exhibition centre. The forum was attended by representatives of the 127 Alliance members representing companies from all segments of the value chain, regional and local authorities, off takers, associations, consultancies and research centres.

On 22 June, the Commission published a report entitled 'Scaling up innovative technologies for climate neutrality', which analyses 184 demonstrator projects for climate neutrality in energy-intensive industries. The projects include innovative clean technology areas such as electrification, the integration of hydrogen, carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS), circularity and energy efficiency. They have been tested in various energy intensive industrial plants, notably chemicals, cement, steel, glass, paper, ceramics and oil refineries throughout the EU.

At the European Tourism Day on 5 May, the Commission launched two competitions to promote smart and sustainable tourism in the EU, strengthen destinations, and facilitate the exchange of best practices: the European Capital of Smart Tourism and the European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism. If you missed the online workshops to guide your city/destination through the process of creating a successful application, you can now watch the full video recordings related to each competition: European Capital of Smart Tourism recording European Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism recording

Updated every month and based on data extracted by the Joint Harmonised EU Programme of Business and Consumer Surveys, the confidence indicator for the industrial ecosystems provides a timely indication of the state of each ecosystem at the EU level. A profile of the economic sentiment is built for each ecosystem, by calculating a weighted average of the values of those sectors included in the definition of each ecosystem; the weights are based on the share of value added that each sector has in the total value added of the ecosystem, as a measure of the relevance of that sector to that ecosystem.

This article develops an enhanced bottom-up and data-driven methodology to detect EU strategic dependencies using highly disaggregated product-level trade data. It identifies 204 products in sensitive industrial ecosystems where the EU experiences an important level of foreign dependencies. A subset of these products are then identified as particularly problematic given that their world trade networks can experience Single Point of Failure (SPOF).

Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean and Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development Oleksandr Kubrakov, today signed an agreement in Lviv, associating Ukraine to the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme. This agreement will enable Ukrainian project promoters to apply for EU funding for projects of common interest in the transport, energy and digital realms, further improving Ukraine's connectivity with its EU neighbours. It will support Ukraine's integration within the EU Single Market, promote growth, jobs and competitiveness.

On 26 June, the Commission has published a report that assesses the uptake and responses by Member States to the Commission Recommendation (EU) 2022/554 of 5 April 2022 on the recognition of qualifications for people fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The report highlights that Member States have made significant strides in facilitating the integration of Ukrainian professionals. The report also found that implementation of the Recommendation varies significantly across Member States. Click the 'More' button to read the full report.

Following an extensive co-creation process with relevant actors of the textiles ecosystem, including the textiles, clothing, leather, and footwear sectors, the Transition pathway for the Textiles ecosystem was published on 6 June 2023.
The pathway defines 50 specific actions to make the ecosystem greener, more digital and to ensure its long-term resilience and competitiveness. Together with the publication, the Commission launched a call for commitments. The purpose of the call is to collect commitments from stakeholders on the concrete actions that they will take to bring forward the actions identified in the transition pathway. All stakeholders who wish to make a public commitment are welcome to do so.

24-26 October - EU-South Africa Matchmaking Event 2023 in Johannesburg, South Africa

The event will take place in the context of Manufacturing Indaba and will particularly target the following sectors: Agri-food, Green Industries, Chemicals and Metals, Transport (Maritime and Automotive), Digital Tech, Textile and Leather.

30 October - 1 November - EU-Singapore Matchmaking Event 2023 in Singapore

The event will be a part of Singapore Week of Innovation & Technology (SWITCH) and Agri-Food Tech Expo Asia 2023. It will provide networking opportunities, particularly in the fields: Agrifood, Health Care and Biomedical Tech, Digital Tech, Smart Cities and Urban Solutions, Advanced Manufacturing, Green Tech.

This year's edition of Summer CEmp, the summer school of the Representation of the European Commission in Portugal, will take place in Ponte da Barca, in the district of Viana do Castelo, between August 30 and September 2, with the support of the Municipality of Ponte da Barca and with the collaboration of the center Europe Direct Minho. This initiative of the Representation of the European Commission in Portugal was born from the desire to involve current and future opinion leaders in the debate on the European Union and to mobilise young people around what the European project is and can be, as well as the role of the European Commission and citizens in its construction.

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