Meddelelse fra Kommisjonen. "ELECTRA": Mot en konkurransedyktig og bærekraftig elektroteknisk industri i Den europeiske union
Område: Næringspolitikk
BAKGRUNN (fra kommisjonsmeddelelsen, engelsk utgave)
The May 2009 Competitiveness Council [1] identified the electrical engineering industry (EEI) [2] as one of the keys to a competitive and strong industrial base in the European Union (EU). Electrical engineering is one of the biggest industries in the world. Its products range from simple consumer goods to highly sophisticated industrial turbines, power grids and power stations. In the EU, the industry numbers some 200 000 enterprises, mostly SMEs, employing around 2.8 million people. In 2008, total production was worth €411 bn and the EEI accounted for 10 % of EU exports, which represented a slight trade surplus [3].
The EU ranks second in world EEI production with 21 %, behind China (30 %) and ahead of the US and Japan (both 19 %). In terms of value added, it is second behind the US, ahead of Japan and China. European EEI products have a good reputation for quality and reliability. But competitors are catching up, while the EU has not yet managed to close the competitiveness gap with the US. A tailor-made vision for the EEI is needed to maintain and improve its competitiveness worldwide.
The European EEI’s future as a producer of technologies for a wide range of applications depends on exploiting the high growth potential of particular markets among others in energy supply infrastructure, energy-efficient buildings, transport networks, industrial production and the development of smart technologies to suit existing and future societal needs.
This Communication sketches the short- and long-term growth potential of those markets and lists the actions and instruments needed to keep the EEI competitive while at the same time unlashing the industry’s potential to contribute to the EU’s 2020 climate change targets. It builds on the recommendations of the 2008 Electra report [4] and connects them with ongoing and planned EU policies. It also takes account of the European Economic Recovery Plan [5] geared to short-term business survival and job preservation in Europe.
1 Doc 10082/09.
2 For the products covered, see:http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/electr_equipment/electrareport_annex1.pdf.
3 See:http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page?_pageid=0,1136217,0_45571467&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL.
4 See:http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/electr_equipment/electra.htm. The ELECTRA report was drafted with the
assistance of the European Commission but does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Commission.
5 COM (2008) 800.
