Redefining the European Policy for Social, Economic and Territorial Convergence

1. Redefining the European Policy for Social, Economic and Territorial Convergence Innovative proposals for post 2013 Luk Palmen

2. Europe’s position in the world in 2013 and 2020 • Vision • Goals • Lisbon Strategy… • The day after… • Which are today’s fundaments of Europe’s stability? • Which are the pillars of Europe’s growth? • On which drivers we will build to safeguard prosperity in the period 2013-2020?

3. Europe’s position in the world in 2013 and 2020 Does “cohesion” still have the same meaning in 2013 as it has now? What is our main aim: To create a Europe where people are able to live with change, take up their chances and to create new value in an environment that delivers the right climate and conditions? Or… To create a Europe of care, social, economic and territorial cohesion, driven by an integral policy on local and regional level?

4. Europe’s position in the world in 2013 and 2020 • The ability to live with change • Creativity, entrepreneurship, innovation • Active participation of elderly people in social and economic life • European centers of excellence to secure global competitiveness • Access to information and services • Access to centers of growth • Access to cultural, tourist and social offer/services

5. Is 2013 the end of the cohesion policy as we knew it for the passed 20 years?

6. European Competitiveness Strategy 2010-2030 • R&D: European Research Area • Innovation: centers of excellence, clusters,new standards and platforms • Social and territorial cohesion: IT accessibility, battle against content illiteracy, services for the elderly, creativity and entrepreneurship, civic society, innovation absorbing society

7. Issues • Ageing of the population causing pressure on the labour market as well as on national budgets (pension system, health care, social services) • Poverty among people not being able to catch up with changing situations • Regional identity, protectionism, xenophobia • Quality of life: quality of food, health care, clean water, clean air, clean energy • Access to natural resources and the global price of abusing environment • Suburbanisation and the raising cost of public infrastructure investments and maintenance

8. Issues • Disappearance of boarders between technology areas and the problem of social acceptance • Human resources for creating, implementing and experiencing • Knowledge economy needs a knowledge absorbing society • Digital literacy, content-literacy • Role of China, India as value creators • Standards defined by multinationals, services defined by the people (open development platforms) • The growing importance of economic centres not necessary equalling the administrative boarders of a city, region, country • The vision on a common future versus the battle for the national budget • The end of the regions? (as we know them)

9. European Competitiveness Strategy 2010-2030 • European Science Policy - Framework Program for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Activities • European Innovation Policy - Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Program with enlarged resources to support “strengthening Europe’s strengths” on the global level • Social, Economic and Territorial Convergence Policy We create value We create examples We grow but we care European Union – world leader in sustainable growth

10. Main focus of the debate Innovative solutions and mechanisms for the period 2013-2020 The way solutions and mechanisms are being interpreted and implemented It is about the understanding of the complexity of regional development. It is about the way a set of diversified tools and mechanisms could be implemented in the regions in order to create synergy, social, territorial cohesion and economic added value.

11. What might be the new orientation for cohesion policy? • The cohesion policy 2013-2020 should be implemented by way of Structural Funds in those member states that joined the European Union since 2004, with 75% of the budgets regionalized (25% for national strategic programs). This allows creating integrated programs for regional development according to the specific needs and potentials of the regions. • The other European member states should be compared with one another by means of a new set of indicators that allows running a European Innovation Policy in a twofold way: • regions lagging behind in the knowledge based economy • regions being among the top of Europe’s leadership but facing structural difficulties in sustaining a strong global economic position.

12. How serious is the prospect of renationalisation? (…) social cohesion should remain a matter for the European Union as a whole in securing an “innovation/knowledge absorbing society”. Main challenges within this area are: • digitalization of the elderly and initiation of online market services / health care services / leisure time services / administrative services for the elderly; • improving the flexicurity labor market model by way of creating local and regional education and employee exchange platforms; • strengthening the role of NGO’s in local social development to integrate those who cannot cope with the speed of changes (cultural and social changes, content-illiteracy, inability to cope with complex problems, intolerance towards the “new workers form outside”).

13. How serious is the prospect of renationalisation? “Renationalisation” as a means of more efficient and effective negotiations (shortening negotiation time) better management of the relationships between the European Union and the Member States (monitoring of tens of Operational Programs instead of hundreds of them) could result in a misallocation of funds through generalized mechanisms that are not appropriate in a certain regional context or also in a lack of integrative approaches on regional level.

14. Will the Lisbon strategy and cohesion policy be eventually merged? • It is not an issue of merging, it is an issue of a clear common vision of the position of the European Union in the global context. • An integrated approach allows better allocating available financial means in an overall European perspective justified by its integral growth model in the global context. • This would include support for the strongest (R&D+I) as well as support for the weakest (I+SET).

15. How can cohesion policy be financed and operate,…? There will be a growing need to invest in self-sustaining solutions and tools as social security systems will put national budgets under pressure. These self-sustaining solutions should however be fully integrated on the regional and local level. It means that we should have a clear understanding of the overall process, from conceptualization, through development, implementation, integration, monitoring, up to adaptation.

16. It happens in Silesia Regional Innovation Strategy

17. August 2003: Regional Parliament accepts the Regional Innovation Strategy for the Silesia Voivodeship 2003-2013 • June 2004: About 30 pilot projects prepared to implement the innovation strategy (first projects under Structural Funds start in 2005) • September 2005: Regional Steering Committee accepts the Executive Program 2005-2008 outlining concrete actions to take • May 2007: Regional Steering Committee accepts a list of seven DEVELOPMENT AREAS for the future • July 2007: Increased co-operation in research programs, investment programs, clustering processes, information exchange, entrepreneurship promotion programs

19. Silesia Voivodship 112 R&D units (universities, public research centers, private research centers,…) 8 000 scientific personnel 200 000 students 4 000 companies with foreign capital GERD/GDP: 0,33%

20. Economic potentials for cluster development Research: Clusters in the EU-10 new member countries Silesia taking the lead in following sectors: automotive, processed food, production technology, sporting, recreation and children goods. Silesia ranked second in following sectors: products and services for construction, chemical products, heavy machinery, heavy construction services, jewelry and precious metals, medical devices, metal manufacturing Clusters in the EU-10 new member countries; Christian Ketels, Orjan Solvell; Europe Innova cluster mapping; 2006

21. Knowledge transfer Centers of advanced technologies Centers of excellence Technology platforms Intermediaries: -agencies, associations -technology incubators, parks >100 R&D units: • Universities • Industrial R&D centers • R&D departments

22. Knowledge development and value creation CLUSTERS • 7 development areas: • ICT • Biology and medical technologies • Energy and clean coal technologies • Environmental protection and land space development • New materials and metallurgy • Machine industry, automotive and aircraft industry • Transport PLATFORMS FORESIGHT SILESIA NETWORK OF TECHNOLOGY INCUBATORS AND PARKS

23. Information exchange platforms

24. Innovation culture Universities sign declaration on promoting creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation Promotion of Creativity and Entrepreneurship in secondary schools Improving entrepreneurship climate in cities Conferences and seminars on creating a positive climate „Creative Innovative Region”

25. BIOFARMA Πday 2007.3,14 LABIOMEN sieć START 2012

26. Thank you for your attention Luk Palmen