“A New Industrial Strategy for Europe. Steering the Recovery by Ensuring EU’s Strategic Autonomy?”. This is the title of the VideoTalk held on 16 July by I-Com – Institute for Competitiveness, with guest speaker Gwenole Cozigou, Director ‘Industrial Policy & Economic Analysis’, DG GROW, European Commission.
The VideoTalk was opened with a speech by I-Com President Stefano da Empoli. The main speaker, Gwenole Cozigou, then took the floor. There followed an open debate moderated by Mattia Ceracchi, I-Com Head of EU Affairs.
Bringing together EU institution representatives, research and business organisations, trade and consumer associations and other relevant stakeholders, the VideoTalk provided an opportunity to discuss the new set of industrial policy initiatives defined last March by the European Commission, aimed at supporting industry to lead on the twin green and digital transitions and stay competitive at a time of geopolitical uncertainty.
Are the measures taken to promote the exit from the crisis and the recovery of the European economy sufficient? What initiatives could be taken to meet the needs of the industrial sectors? Should the new European industrial strategy be reviewed in the light of the lessons of the pandemic? If so, how? On what guidelines should action be taken to strengthen the European Union’s open strategic autonomy? On which sectors, technologies, supply chains should we focus? What initiatives could be taken to reinforce the potential of the pharmaceutical industry? What role can the pharmaceutical industry play in supporting the EU’s open strategic autonomy? What measures does the new pharmaceutical strategy for Europe need to take in this direction?
Participants agreed that the Covid-19 pandemic has made clear the need for the EU to strengthen and make its industrial system more resilient, so that it can be ready to face future shocks. For this reason, Europe’s industrial strategy will have to be built on a twofold basis: on the one hand, opening up to international trade as a source of prosperity and competitiveness; on the other, investing in strengthening its industrial production, diversifying sources of supply and avoiding excessive external dependence.
