This week, I-Com hosted its second event in the Cantiere Europa series in Brussels. This continues the project’s mission to create a platform for policy-makers, business leaders and experts to discuss a strategic vision for the current legislative term.
The initiative focuses on fostering dialogue to enhance EU competitiveness, with events in both Rome and Brussels.
The event, titled “Innovation-Enabled EU Competitiveness: Enhancing the Bloc’s Growth and Social Cohesion,” featured Paolo Pasimeni, Deputy Chief Economist at DG Grow, European Commission, as the keynote speaker.
Pasimeni emphasized that industrial policies are most effective when they support the entire sector, reaching both large and small companies, without raising barriers to their entry. These are the critical factors policymakers must consider when designing industrial policies.
Stefano da Empoli, President of I-Com, opened the event by presenting I-Com’s latest research, which identifies critical challenges the EU must overcome to foster economic growth and social cohesion. This research was based on insights from the Draghi Report, which underscores innovation, decarbonization, and strategic dependencies as vital areas of policy action.
The discussion delved into how Europe can boost its innovation efforts, and improve labor productivity. During the Q&A session, participants addressed critical topics, including the EU’s energy dependency, strategies to drive innovation, sources of capital and access to it, and how the EU can craft policies that deliver widespread benefits across sectors and regions. These discussions come at a pivotal moment, as the EU seeks to navigate both global competition and internal challenges.