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The importance of R&D+i for companies
and jobs
After several decades of economic globalisation
and the resultant impact on flows of goods and
services, it is possible to identify some of the
geostrategic effects on the global economy.
There has been a gradual segmentation and
specialisation of the different regions of the
world in accordance with their key competitive
advantages, whether on a planned basis or
purely as a result of market forces. Despite
Europe’s assets and our undoubted ability to
compete on a global scale – and with the caveat
that the picture varies from country to country
– it is clear that, in the context of this division of
economic roles, Europe is failing to achieve and
sustain levels of growth that are similar to those
in other regions of the world.
Although European societies are unlikely to
be able to compete globally on the basis of ac-
cess to cheap raw materials or low labour costs,
we can certainly be successful if we focus our
energies on becoming global leaders in the in-
novation and development of products and ser-
vices, both technological and non-technologi-
cal. This commitment to high added value is,
moreover, entirely consistent with the sustaina-
bility of the European social model, a cohesive
system designed to provide extensive protection
for every layer of our society, and one to which
millions of people around the world aspire.
However, this model is under strain as a re-
sult of Europe’s very weak performance in both
growth and employment. Since 1999 (the year
in which the euro was introduced), the euro-
zone has grown more slowly than comparable
countries such as the USA, Canada, Norway and
the United Kingdom, and unemployment has
been higher. Since 2010, the eurozone has been
the only economic region of the world to fall
back into recession, with Europe’s economies
yet to find a formula for competing successfully
and achieving vigorous growth in the current
globalised environment. Addressing this situa-
tion requires a range of actions and reforms but
also depends on developing and sustaining an
economic and productive model based on in-
novation and on the ability to design and pro-
duce high-value goods and services. In this con-
text, R&D+i represents a key strength.
The EU’s member states and institutions are
increasingly aware of the vital importance of
European leadership in knowledge and innova-
tion for our economic development. Innovation
must take centre stage in the European econo-
my. It benefits citizens both as consumers and as
workers, accelerating and improving the design,
development, manufacture and use of prod-
ucts, industrial processes and new services. And
The Digital Agenda
Manuel Ausaverri