Brussels, 13/06/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Business Summit (EBS), held last weekend in Brussels at the initiative of the Fédération des Entreprises de Belgique (FEB) and European employers (Unice) on the theme of innovation and creativity, took place in an extremely positive climate. This "mini-Davos" met with tremendous success (apart from the "dissonant voices" of the anti-globalisation protestors) "in terms of both the quality and quantity of its discussions, with more than 1,000 participants", among whom several European Commissioners, other politicians (such as Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt) and a large number of business people, commented the "boss of bosses", Baron George Jacobs. "The quality of the debates", added Unice General Secretary Dirk Hudig, "will enable development of follow-up to Lisbon so as to find solutions to Europe's need to catch up with the United States in terms of technology and innovation".
Expressing a similar view, the European Commissioner in charge of education, Mrs Viviane Reding, stated: "If we wish to build an information society, as required by the Lisbon Summit, we can only do so in partnership with the social forces. It is for political leaders to set the tone. And then everyone must make a commitment, with industry having particular responsibility. Without public-private partnerships, we can accomplish nothing. Workers, industry and political leaders must work together and in the same direction." And Mrs Reding explained: "We first have to practice globalisation at home. All elements of society must take things forward, building consensus for effectiveness." The Commissioner highlighted in this context the essential importance of education for meeting the challenges of the new information society (see following pages): "all elements of society, including the trade unions, must accept their responsibilities".
The summit included an address by Emilio Gabaglio, Secretary General of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), who sent out a "very positive signal given his open views on the labour market, the reform of social systems and innovation", commented Thérèse de Liedekerke, Director of Unice's Committee on Social Affairs. This view was shared by Viviane Reding, who added: "If all unions showed such openness, we would go very far". Mr Gabaglio nonetheless commented that "Unice would be making a mistake to make labour flexibility an obsession. There are other policies needed to make European business more innovative and competitive." And he pointed out that "ETUC has proven its commitment through social dialogue and the European negotiations to modernise the working of the labour market, once a sound balance is established between the demands of business and workers' indispensable social rights and guarantees. I hope Unice will overcome its reluctance to make this approach even more positive in the future and that European employers at all levels will recognise that there is no way to bring to a successful conclusion the necessary changes other than recognition of the role of unions and of collective bargaining."
In his concluding remarks, Georges Jacob pointed out that there were three key messages: 1) confirmation that, in our environment undergoing rapid change, innovation is the response to the challenges raised by competition; 2) convergence between the priorities established by the Lisbon Summit in March and the aims of business leaders; c) failings with regard to performance and innovation, stressed, moreover, in the UNICE report on Benchmarking 2000. These messages must now be materialised into concrete and constructive measures. Mr Jacobs believes that innovation is also "vital in the social field (modernisation of European social protection systems), environmental field (sustainable development and protection of the environment) and political field (Europe's enlargement)". Georges Jacobs took three recommendations on board, to be presented in the autumn to President Prodi. They will be the subject of discussions between European social partners, namely: 1) the "dream dimension" must not be neglected in innovation; 2) risks must be accepted; and 3) we must adjust to rapid and permanent change.
Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, for his part, said he was convinced that an "economy founded on innovation and creativity will guarantee lasting growth, full employment and low inflation". By keeping to the Lisbon timetable, the "European Union should become the most competitive and most dynamic economy based on knowledge in the world by 2010, closer to full employment than it has ever been in all its history, and more effective against poverty than any other region in the world".
The President of the Round Table of European Industrialists (ERT) Morris Tabaksblatt called for "the elimination of administrative paperwork and worries… Europe needs more freedoms, not more regulations, to compare itself with the best and notably the United States."
"If we want to build a strong Europe, it will require entrepreneurs that show creativity and innovation. I think that in Europe we have a lot of this, and it is here one of our great assets. The best way to favour these ideas is to gather the creators. Creativity is innovation, which is the source of all our progress. Europe should not follow changes, but anticipate them," announced President of the European Commission Romano Prodi at the closing of the session. "We must keep the spirit of long-term profitability. What the citizens want are ethical values, democratic justice, worries for the environment and sustainable development." Calling for "a citizens sense of responsibility," Mr. Prodi made a call to innovative companies so that they "find talented workers and keep them, motivate them by enabling them to fully participate in the company, giving them new training, better salaries, stock options."