the Calabria grows, the Europe grows

Danita Hübner: the poorest regions are recovering

It written document by Paolo Spadafora

June 20, 2008

The poorest regions of Europe are recovering their delay é this that emerges from the 5th intermediate account of the economic and social cohesion. The first part of this document analyses the results of the public consultation, which had been thrown last year on the future of the regional politics. The cohesion politics é perceived like tool that favours the competitiveness and not only like pure mechanism of the solidarity . The second part explains the factors that promote the growth in Europe. The growth é founded on sectors to high knowledge intensity. Waiting for knowing the details of the study to value the Calabrian data, one can only receive positively the general datum.

From the public consultation there emerges a strong support to the ambitious politics of cohesion for after 2013 and as for a long time now I repeat at this blog what serves é: innovation, innovation, innovation.

The Europe needs a strong cohesion politics after 2013. Danuta Hübner, responsible commissary for the regional Politics, has ascertained today that on this necessity itself é recorded a consent based on more than 100 contributions arrived during the public consultation. The commissary has spoken in occasion of the presentation of the Fifth intermediate relation about the economic and social cohesion. The document in two parts includes a relation as to the public consultation and an analytical report to the regional economies which itself evince that the least developed regions keep on being characterised at a strong growth corroborated by a moving towards the sectors of the future.
The Commissary Hübner has clinched: "The respondents have expressed clearly their permanent engagement towards an ambitious politics that unwinds a greater list to reduce the differences in the European Union. The intermediate relation indicates that is coming true a convergence based on solid foundations whose motor é constituted at sectors in expansion that, in our opinion, possess the greatest potentialities for the future.”

The cohesion politics after 2013: account of the public consultation

To € ¢ Itself é recorded a consent as for the necessity of a politics of European cohesion at the same time ambitious and pass to all the regions of the UE; é been rejected firmly the rinazionalizzazione idea.

To € ¢ there are speeded investments been based on European priorities up to Themselves which the innovation, the instruction, the support to the small and medium-sized enterprises, the infrastructures on staircase UE and the fight against the climatic change. Itself é asked besides that the politics becomes "greener".

To € ¢ à ˆ been invoked a greater coordination between the Politics of cohesion and other sectorial politics of the UE in the light of the complexity of the changes nonchà ©, in such a context, itself é speeded up the Commission to reinforce the connection between the politics of cohesion and the politics of rural development.

To € ¢ à ˆ been asked a further simplification of the politics, a greater involvement of the local and regional authorities.

To € ¢ The territorial cooperation transfrontaliera, the transnational and interregional exchanges are considered between the best examples of an European added value brought by the Politics of cohesion; the respondents ask that to this end they are allocated greater resources.

I contest: The first part of the intermediate relation does the synthesis from the contributions arrived between the September 2007 and the February 2008 during a public consultation guided by the Commission as to the future of the Politics of cohesion. More than 100 contributions have arrived from the national authorities (they have announced 17 Member states, whose total weight é equally to 80 % of the population of the UE), local and regional authorities, socioeconomic parts, university institutions and of research. The contributions are analysed now in the context of the balance sheet auditing and of the reflexions on the priorities of expense of the UE.

Economic and social cohesion: situation and trends

To € ¢ The poorest regions are recovering: The second part of the relation notices a persistent strong growth in the poorest regions. Between 2000 and 2005 the regions Convergence (GDP per head inferior to 75 % of the community average) have recorded a growth of the GDP per head quicker than 50 % compared to the rest of the UE. In these regions also the unemployment percentage é gone down of 3 percent. This dynamics é been determined at a passage to the sectors of the future as it is seen the majority further.

To € ¢ In the regions the growth é concentrated on the sectors to high knowledge intensity: The relation identifies the sectors with strong growth perspectives in the middle term either in the regions ‘Convergence‘ or in those that return to the objective ‘ regional Competitiveness and occupation’. These sectors are: financial services and services destined at the enterprises; commerce, transport and communications; manufacturing production to high and high - middle technology. In the manufacturing sector to high technology itself é individualised one of the manufacturing sectors in which the UE maintains a competitive advantage. They return to him the production of electric and optic equipment, the surgical garrisons, the aerospace one and the pharmaceutical products.

To € ¢ Necessity of greater investments in the innovation, in the instruction and in the formation: In the regions most developed the share of the GDP assigned to the research and development (R&S) é from three times superior's to that one regions Convergence, but of 15 times inferior to that one United States. The European Union invests also a share lower with the own GDP in the superior instruction: 1,2 % compared to 2,9 % in the USA.

The intermediate relation can be consulted to the next address:

http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docoffic/official/reports/interim5_en.htm