THE ROLE of REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES IN EUROPE Jacques Evrard EURADA EURADA President

Im from the government and Im here to help - Ronald W. Reagan -

RDAs in Europe Core businesses: - Regional strategy implementation - Infrastructures (industrial parks, incubators, …) - Support to enterprises, mainly SMEs (creation, development, innovation, access to finance, clustering) - Attraction of FDI & territorial marketing. EURADA federates 150 RDAs active in more than 20 European countries.

FDI modus operandi of RDAs Own offices abroad (USA, Japan, …) Using existing diplomatic channels (i.e. trade commissioners) Hands in hands with national agencies Hiring consultants

KEY QUESTION IS : HOW TO DIFFERENTIATE ? Economic profile Markets Taxes Regulations Labor climate Suppliers & know-how Utilities Incentives Quality of life Infrastructure & logistics Sites & offices (real estate) Divergence Convergence Source : Buck Consultants International – Eurada meeting Challenges (1)

Challenges (2) Providing a unique selling point Indeed most EU regions have similar competitive advantages Focus on regional strengths Or/and Better market segmentation

Challenges (3) Direct Inward Investment in developed countries ATTRACT ADDED VALUE SMEs TALENTED PEOPLE

Region attractiveness ATTRACTIVENESS FACTORS OF A REGION: –Clusters –Human capital (training) –Excellence in RDT or innovation –Quality of life –Proximity of the markets QUESTION : Are these competing advantages reflected in the advertisements for the regions? Territorial marketing

Jacques EvrardEURADA Avenue des Arts 12, bte 7 – 1210 Brussels, BELGIUM – For more information: Thank you for your attention