Archive:Industry and construction introduced
This Statistics Explained article has been archived - for recent articles on short-term business statistics see here.
The European Commission in its mid-term review of industrial policy (COM(2007) 374) has identified globalization and technological change as key challenges for European industry. Industrial policy within the European Union is designed to complement measures taken by the Member States. Whether or not a business succeeds depends ultimately on the vitality and strength of the business itself, but the environment in which it operates can help or harm its prospects, in particular when faced with the challenges of globalization and intense international competition.
In 2005, a Commission Communication on industrial policy was based on an integrated approach for the first time and addressed sector-specific as well as common issues. Since then, the overall performance of European industry has continued to develop favourably against a background of an increasingly integrated world and the accelerating pace of technological change. The Commission’s new industrial policy includes seven new initiatives on:
- competitiveness, energy and the environment;
- intellectual property rights;
- better regulation;
- industrial research and innovation;
- market access;
- skills;
- managing structural change.
Seven additional initiatives are targeted at key strategic sectors, including pharmaceuticals, defence-related industries, and information and communication technologies.
A range of key short-term statistical indicators that are vital for the analysis of recent economic developments and the development of policy are collected by Eurostat under short-term business statistics (STS). This data series cover the European countries, together with totals for the euro zone and the EU as a whole.
The profile and use of such short-term business statistics is expanding rapidly as information flows become global and changes in indicators may have significant effects on global markets. These indicators that are provided in the form of indices that allow the rapid assessment of the economic climate within an economy.
See also
All articles on industry and construction
Further Eurostat information
Dedicated section
Other information
- European Commission COM(2005) 474 on implementing the Community Lisbon programme: a policy framework to strengthen EU manufacturing - towards a more integrated approach for industrial policy
- European Commission COM(2007)374 on the mid-term review of industrial policy. A contribution to the EU’s Growth and Jobs Strategy