Brussels, 22/05/2013 (Agence Europe) - Current approaches to eco-innovation have their limitations because most of them focus on technologies and products taken individually, whereas they should, instead, be aiming at a general change of course, stresses a report by the European Eco-Innovation Observatory, which was published on Thursday 22 May at the 14th European eco-innovation forum (see other article). In order to bring about a change of course - a prerequisite if the EU is to succeed in its transition to a green economy - the Observatory calls for a fully integrated, systemic approach to eco-innovation. It takes the view that the EU's eco-innovation policy must respond to systemic problems, that a framework for eco-innovative investment is urgently needed and that the action plan for eco-innovation could play a more key role in making eco-innovation into a leveraging force behind the green economy.
This report, entitled “Europe in transition - Paving the way to a green economy through the eco-innovation” shows that countries such as Finland, Denmark and Sweden are the undoubted champions of eco-innovation in the EU in the rankings established by the Observatory but, even so, they do not come out top in an assessment of the environmental results. It also stresses that certain countries are laying too much emphasis on green technologies rather than on the productivity of resources, and that eco-innovation tends to focus on certain niche areas instead of targeting broader distribution throughout society.
In order to remedy this, eco-innovation policies need to be rethought so that they tackle the problem at its root. The Observatory therefore recommends that political decision-makers: - lay down long-term eco-innovation objectives and stages towards the achievement of these objectives, to be decided upon with all players and to be included in the EU's action plan for eco-innovation and in the framework programme for R&D between now and 2020 ; these objectives should aim both to secure short-term gains such as the efficiency of materials/resources in businesses, and longer-term benefits representing an integrated eco-innovation system. ; the short-term gains which do not feed into the long-term vision should not benefit from support; - develop, by means of dialogue, the shared understanding of the challenge of eco-innovation (in other words what it is and what it should be aiming to do) which are the same for political decision-makers and other players throughout Europe; - developing a system of solid eco-innovation indicators and data collection allowing an integrated approach to monitoring and assessing eco-innovation policies; - prepare to respond to the complexity, scope and pace of future challenges to be faced by stepping up coordination and cooperation between policies and ministers. To this end, the Commission should start by establishing a cross-cutting “competence platform” for eco-innovation, bringing together staff members of the various directorates general, European agencies responsible for major EU programmes and the European Investment Bank. (AN/transl.fl)