Brussels, 19/07/2011 (Agence Europe) - To return to steady and concrete growth, Europe must have high value-added products, unsurpassed in quality and innovation, linked to research and technological development, within the framework of an industrial policy that keeps up with the challenges of the new millennium. That is the only way to prevent decline in Europe. That was the message delivered by Commission Vice-President with responsibility for industry and entrepreneurship Antonio Tajani at a conference, “Innovation, an insight from Europe”, organised by the ISPRA research centre in Varese, Italy on Monday 18 July.
Setting out his argument, Tajani stated that: “R&D, innovation and training are the real trump card that, together with less naïve commercial policies, more transparency and checks on finance, greater internal market integration, and an industrial policy that keeps up with the challenges of the new millennium, can prevent the European decline”.
He said that politicians must assume their responsibility and make focused and well-timed choices so that Europe can defend its technological leadership maintaining industrial roots and jobs and safeguarding the European social model. “What we need, thus, is more political Europe aiming at boosting competitiveness through the strengthening of the economic governance for a common strategy on research and innovation”, he stated.
The commissioner called on his native country, Italy, to “believe in its potential and ability for promoting talent, creativity and entrepreneurship”. The ISPRA research centre is an excellent example of the capacity of Europeans to pool their forces in the research sector. With more than 2,000 employees, ISPRA is one of the most important research centres in Europe and the biggest in Italy, he said.
In conclusion, Tajani announced that, at the start of 2012, he would organise a conference on industrial innovation, to be held in Brussels, to evaluate the status of the European strategy and the improvements achieved. (G.B./transl.rt)