A blueprint for transforming EU industry through place-based innovation
Industrial policy is once again in vogue in public policy circles around the world. Yet it is crucial to ensure coherence between place-based innovation and EU industrial policy. For doing so, this contribution proposes a backcasting, mission-oriented and foresight-inspired approach to sustainable, resilient and secure development in the EU. It encourages the EU to fully […]
What must be prioritised for the financial sector over the next five years
For the EU to maintain its competitive edge globally, the von der Leyen II Commission must focus on balancing regulatory simplification with forward-looking strategies in capital market integration, bank competitiveness, digital finance and sustainability. Despite significant growth, Europe’s financial system remains predominantly bank-centric compared with more market-oriented systems. Initiatives like the Capital Markets Union and […]
A critical first response to Mario Draghi’s competitiveness report
On 9 September 2024, Mario Draghi, the former Italian prime minister and former President of the European Central Bank, presented his long-awaited report on the EU economy and EU competitiveness. This is an immense report, 400 pages in total, containing a myriad of proposals to reform and rejuvenate a stagnant and sluggish EU economy, an […]
The EU according to Draghi – as competitive as needed, as sustainable as possible
Landing on Ursula von der Leyen’s desk just as she’s putting together the new College of Commissioners, the long-awaited report by Mario Draghi on ‘the future of European competitiveness’ totals almost 400 pages collaboratively drafted by two (invisible) teams in Brussels and Rome. Draghi‘s opus magnum doesn’t disappoint when it comes to length and ambition, […]
Why it’s businesses (and not the European Commission) that need to ensure sustainable supply chains
It’s the same old story – when push comes to shove, no one wants to pay, especially for sustainability. We want more sustainable practices, production and supply chains but there are few who are willing to actually open their wallets for such a cause. In the last few weeks several actors have urged the European […]
Creating sustainable labour markets through eco-social policies
Labour markets influence the way we produce and consume, thus playing an important role for both human wellbeing and the environment. Implementing labour market changes could help fulfil people’s needs within planetary boundaries. This would require an integrated understanding of social-ecological issues. However, despite the EU just transition’s aim to address the social impacts of […]
Implementing the EU digital battery passport
Introduced as part of the new EU regulatory frameworks for ecodesign and batteries, the digital product passport (DPP) supports the collection and sharing of product-related data among supply chain actors. As the first tool of this kind globally, it aspires to address existing information gaps for products and components throughout global supply chains, thus becoming […]
Implementation of circular economy approaches in the electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) sector
Circular economy business models (CBMs) are identified as important levers in the transition to a circular economy (CE). Published in the ‘Journal for Cleaner Production’, this article aims to enrich the research in the field of CBMs by focusing on the electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) sector. The study adopts a multi-case study approach and uses a sample of 31 […]
Barriers and enablers for implementing circular economy business models
The circular economy is a key element of the European Green Deal as a concept that can support the transition towards a more sustainable growth model. While in recent years there has been a growth of circular economy industrial applications, evidence suggests that the uptake of circular approaches in many sectors is still limited. This […]