欧洲工业战略

　 Europe’s new industrial way

　Europe has always been the home of industry. For centuries, it has been a pioneer in industrial innovation and has helped improve the way people around the world produce, consume and do business. Based on a strong internal market, the European industry has long powered our economy, providing a stable living for millions and creating the social hubs around which our communities are built.

　Throughout its long history, industry has proven its ability to lead change. And it must now do the same as Europe embarks on its transition towards climate neutrality and digital leadership in an ever-changing and ever more unpredictable world.

　The twin ecological and digital transitions will affect every part of our economy, society and industry. They will require new technologies, with investment and innovation to match. They will create new products, services, markets and business models. They will shape new types of jobs that do not yet exist which need skills that we do not yet have. And they will entail a shift from linear production to a circular economy.

　These transitions will take place in a time of moving geopolitical plates which affect the nature of competition. The need for Europe to affirm its voice, uphold its values and fight for a level playing field is more important than ever. This is about Europe’s sovereignty.

　The breadth and depth, the scale and speed, the nature and necessity of the twin transitions are unprecedented. This is reflected in President von der Leyen’s Political Guidelines, the priorities set out by the European Parliament and the European Council’s Strategic Agenda 2019-2024. The European Green Deal1 and the Commission’s recent Strategy on Shaping Europe’s Digital Future2 set the ambition, speed and direction of travel for the years to come.

　We now need a new industrial way for Europe, fit for the ambitions of today and the realities of tomorrow. At the heart of this is the ability of Europe’s industry to lead the twin transitions and drive our competitiveness. It cannot afford to simply adapt – it must now become the accelerator and enabler of change and innovation. Our industrial policy must help make this ambition a reality.

　Europe’s industrial strategy must reflect our values and social market traditions. We will rely on our strengths: our diversity and talent, our values and way of life, our innovators and creators. We need a European industrial policy based on competition, open markets, world-leading research and technologies and a strong single market which brings down barriers and cuts red tape. And we must resist the simplistic temptations that come with protectionism or market distortions, while not being na?ve in the face of unfair competition.

　This strategy recognises the strength and the role of the European Union, primarily as an enabler and regulator. Setting the framework and providing political and policy direction is crucial to offer the certainty needed for investors, innovators and industry alike.

　Our new industrial strategy is entrepreneurial in spirit and in action. The Commission is ready to co-design and co-create solutions with industry itself, as well as with social partners and all other stakeholders. This will be supported by a new focus on industrial ecosystems,

　1 COM(2019) 640 final.

　2 COM(2020) 67 final.

　taking into account all players within a value chain. This is our new approach and reflects the need for new ways of thinking and working to lead the twin transitions.

　This strategy shows the direction of travel and the route we will take to get there. It lays out the vision of what we want to achieve by 2030 and beyond, and the fundamentals that will take us there. In times of transition and major change for our Union, one simple reality will remain the same: Europe will always be the home of industry. And with this strategy, the European Commission is ready to do what it takes to make sure it stays that way.

　Europe’s industry: Today and tomorrow

　Industry is central to Europe’s future progress and prosperity. It makes up more than 20% of the EU’s economy and employs around 35 million people, with many millions more jobs linked to it at home and abroad. It accounts for 80% of goods exports and is a key reason behind the EU’s position as top global provider and destination for foreign direct investment. Small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) account for over 99% of all European firms – the vast majority of which are family run companies – and are our economic and social backbone3.

　Europe’s industry has a global competitive advantage on high value-added products and services. It leads by example complying with the highest social, labour and environmental standards, allowing Europe to project its values. Thanks to a strong innovation capacity, it is also a world leader in green technology patents and other high tech sectors. Our single market empowers European companies of all sizes to innovate, scale-up and employ more people. These strengths need to be channelled towards gaining leadership in areas where the EU still lags behind, such as on cloud and data applications.

　European industry is already undergoing a significant transformation. There is a pronounced shift from products to services and from exclusive to shared ownership of products and services. The pressure on natural resources is already leading to a more circular approach to manufacturing. Thanks to disruptive technologies like 3D printing, Europe also needs to make the most of localisation as an opportunity to bring more manufacturing back to the EU in some sectors.

　In order to bring our ambitions to life, Europe needs an industry that becomes greener and more digital while remaining competitive on the global stage. This will help transform and grow traditional and new industries, support SMEs and drive our competitive sustainability across the EU. This is equally as important for services as it for goods.

　Thanks to Europe’s social market economy, economic growth goes hand-in-hand with improved social and living standards and good working conditions. The European Pillar of Social Rights will continue to be our compass and ensure the twin transitions are socially fair.

　With its strong, innovative and integrated industrial base, Europe is well placed to take the global lead.

　3 A dedicated SME strategy is adopted in parallel with this Communication – SME strategy for a sustainable and digital Europe, COM (2020) 103 final.

　A globally competitive and world-leading industry

　New and ever-changing geopolitical realities are having a profound effect on Europe’s industry. Global competition, protectionism, market distortions, trade tensions and challenges to the rules-based system are all on the rise. New powers and competitors are emerging. More established partners are choosing new paths. Coupled with a period of global economic uncertainty on the horizon, these trends pose new challenges for Europe’s industry as it sets off on the twin ecological and digital transitions.

　Faced with these headwinds, Europe’s response cannot be to erect more barriers, shield uncompetitive industries or mimic the protectionist or distortive policies of others. Being competitive requires competition – both at home and in the world. It needs the right conditions for entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into actions and for companies of all sizes to thrive and grow.

　At the same time, the EU needs to be able to strengthen its strategic interests abroad through economic outreach and diplomacy. The EU must leverage the impact, the size and the integration of its single market to set global standards. Being able to forge global high- quality standards which bear the hallmark of Europe’s values and principles will only strengthen our strategic autonomy and industrial competitiveness.

　Europe will also continue to rely on free and fair trade with partners from around the world. The rules-based multilateral trading system and the World Trade Organization are indispensable to ensure open markets and a level playing field. The EU will continue efforts to uphold, update and upgrade the world trading system so it is fit to address today’s challenges and tomorrow’s realities.

　An industry that paves the way to climate-neutrality

　The European Green Deal is Europe’s new growth strategy. At the heart of it is the goal of becoming the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050.

　Industry has a leading role to play in what is the greatest challenge and opportunity of our times. All industrial value chains, including energy-intensive sectors, will have a key role to play. They will all have to work on reducing their own carbon footprints but also accelerate the transition by providing affordable, clean technology solutions and by developing new business models.

　To become more competitive as it becomes greener and more circular, industry will need a secure supply of clean and affordable energy and raw materials. Stepping up investment in research, innovation, deployment and up-to-date infrastructure will help develop new production processes and create jobs in the process.

　In the entrepreneurial spirit of this strategy, EU institutions, Member States, regions, industry and all other relevant players should work together to create lead markets in clean technologies and ensure our industry is a global frontrunner. Regulatory policies, public procurement, fair competition and the full involvement of SMEs will be essential to make this happen.

　These efforts should be supported by policies and financial instruments at EU and national level, as well as the private sector. Those who move first and move fastest will hold the greater competitive advantage.

　An industry shaping Europe’s digital future

　Digital technologies are changing the face of industry and the way we do business. They create new business models, allow industry to be more productive, provide workers with new skills and support the decarbonisation of our economy. The digital sector will also contribute to the European Green Deal, both as a source of clean technology solutions and by reducing its own carbon footprint.

　With its Strategy on Shaping Europe’s Digital Future, the Commission set out its vision for how Europe can retain its technological and digital sovereignty and be the global digital leader. Recognising that scalability is key in a digitalised economy, strengthening the digital single market will underpin Europe’s transition.

　Europe must also speed up investment in research and the deployment of technology, in areas such as artificial intelligence, 5G, data and metadata analytics. In 2018, only around one in ten EU companies analysed big data, while only one in four used cloud computing services.

　As set out in the Commission’s recent European Strategy for Data4, Europe needs a framework to allow businesses to create, pool and use data to improve products and compete internationally in a way that upholds our values and respects the rights and privacy of all.

　The EU must also enhance its industrial capacity in critical digital infrastructure. The successful roll-out of highly secured and state-of-the-art 5G network will be a major enabler for future digital services and be at the heart of the industrial data wave. Europe must now invest if it wants to be a frontrunner in 6G networks.

　In the entrepreneurial spirit of this industrial strategy, Europe must pool its strengths to do collectively what no one can do alone. Recent examples of doing so have shown the potential and the value of this approach. Europe is now home to one of the top three fastest supercomputers in the world and has reversed a downward trend in micro-electronics.

　Europe has everything it takes to lead this new technology race. It must build on its strengths, including a robust industrial base, high quality research, skilled workers, a vibrant start-up ecosystem, mature infrastructure and a leading position in the use of industrial data.

　The fundamentals of Europe’s industrial transformation

　The three drivers outlined above show the extent of transformation Europe will undergo. It takes a generation to transform an industrial sector and all the value chains it forms part of. But in a competitive and dynamic environment there is no time to waste. The next five years will be decisive to set the right enabling conditions for this transition.

　Underpinning this strategy are a set of fundamentals for Europe’s industrial transformation. Some of these renew or expand on existing approaches in innovation, investment, standards or levelling the playing field. Others reflect the need for new ways of working for Europe to strengthen its industry for the transitions, whether it be on skills or circularity.

　The fundamentals reflect the fact that there is no silver-bullet or standalone solution – they are each inter-connected and reinforce each other. But they also reflect the reality that, while a lot can be done at the European level to enable and provide certainty, many of the levers are in the hands of others. A partnership approach will therefore be essential.

　4 COM(2020) 66 final.

　Creating certainty for industry: A deeper and more digital single market

　Thanks to our unique single market, EU companies benefit from a springboard to compete globally. By providing a common regulatory space and scale, the single market is the driver of competitiveness and facilitates the integration of companies of all sizes in European and global value chains.

　To allow the single market to propel our industry forward, legislation must be implemented and enforced across the board. The Single Market Enforcement Action Plan5 adopted today puts forward concrete proposals to strengthen joint efforts in this area, notably the creation of a Single Market Enforcement Task Force. The Single Market Barriers Report6 shows the need to break down the barriers facing businesses when selling goods or more acutely when providing services cross-border. Enhancing tax harmonisation would help remove one of the main obstacles faced by business when operating cross-border, notably by making a common consolidated corporate tax base a reality.

　Single market legislation must also be reviewed and updated to ensure that it is fit for the digital age. This includes the revision of EU rules on product safety, the implementation of the European Data Strategy and the adoption of the Digital Services Act.

　An “SME to SME approach” will also be essential. The growing number of young, tech- savvy SMEs can help more established industrial firms to adapt their business models and develop new forms of work for the digital age. This has already created new opportunities and start-ups should be supported to help build the platform economy. But new forms of work must come with modern and improved forms of protections, including for those working on online platforms.

　The single market depends on robust, well-functioning systems for standardisation and certification. These help to increase the size of markets and provide legal certainty. Developing new standards and technical regulations, coupled with increased EU participation in international standardisation bodies, will be essential to boost industry’s competitiveness.

　The EU also needs to ensure that its Intellectual Property policy helps to uphold and strengthen Europe’s tech sovereignty and promote global level playing field. IP helps to determine the market value and competitiveness of Europe’s firms. This is their intangibles, such as brands, designs, patents, data, know-how, and algorithms. Smart IP policies are essential to help all companies to grow, create jobs and to protect and develop what makes them unique and competitive.

　An independent EU competition policy has served Europe well by helping to level the playing field, driving innovation and giving consumers more choice. Competition brings the best out of our companies and enables them to stay competitive globally. In a fast changing world, and a time when Europe is embarking on its major twin transitions, we should ensure that competition rules remain fit for today’s world.

　With this in mind, the Commission is currently reviewing the EU competition framework. This is looking at how current competition rules are applied, notably in relation to anti-trust

　5 Communication and its accompanying Report on Identifying and addressing barriers to the single market, COM(2020) 93 final.

　6 Long term action plan for better implementation and enforcement of single market rules, COM(2020) 94 final.

　remedies, and whether rules governing horizontal and vertical agreements and the market definition notice are still fit for purpose. It will also look at how to improve case detection and speed up investigations. The Commission will use the tool of sector inquiries in new and emerging markets that are shaping our economy and society.

　The ongoing evaluation of merger control and the “fitness” check of various State aid guidelines are also part of this review. State aid rules ensure a level playing field within Europe, avoiding a fratricidal subsidies race while supporting important public interest objectives. The Commission will ensure revised State aid rules are in place in 2021 in a number of priority areas, including energy and environmental aid.

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　Making it happen

　? Single Market Enforcement Action Plan and Single Market Barriers Report, adopted today.

　? Setting up a Single Market Enforcement Task-Force, composed of Member States and the Commission.

　? SME Strategy for a sustainable and digital Europe, adopted today.

　? Evaluate, review and, if necessary, adapt EU competition rules as of 2021, including the ongoing evaluation of merger control and fitness check of State aid guidelines.

　? Intellectual Property Action Plan to assess the need to upgrade the legal framework, ensure a smart use of IP, better fight IP theft.

　? Follow-up to the European Data Strategy to develop an EU data economy, including the launch of common European data spaces in specific sectors and value chains.

　? Digital Services Act to update and strengthen the legal framework for a single market in digital services.

　? Initiative on improving the working conditions for platform workers.

　Upholding a global level playing field

　The openness of Europe’s economy is at the source of its prosperity and competitiveness. Although, EU industry is highly integrated in global value chains and operates globally, the EU should not be na?ve to threats to fair competition and trade.

　The EU works to keep markets open through trade deals with partner countries or regions or working in international fora to find rules that work for all. We must continue to take a coordinated European approach to secure mutually beneficial trade and overcome any barriers that prevent our businesses from properly accessing other markets around the world. This includes fighting aggressive tax planning schemes that create an uneven playing field.

　The EU will make the most of its full toolbox of trade defence mechanisms. By mid-2020, the Commission will explore how best to s