Consultant Competitive regions in Europe Cliff Hague

Overview European disparities in competitiveness Urban drivers Small and medium-sized towns Policy-relevant findings

European disparities in competitiveness: GDP

Disparities in competitiveness: Long term unemployment 2003 Pattern largely reflects national labour markets. In half of NUTS 2 regions long term unemployed were 40% of the jobless.

Lisbon indicators

Information society Index built from data on readiness, availability and impacts. National differences as well as between regions in a country. North-South, West- East and urban-rural divides.

Patents Highest share of patent applications is in regions with highest Lisbon orientation. 24 NUTS 2 regions account for >50%. Some rural regions are successful.

Headquarters of major European companies London and Paris are the main nodes. Randstad is not far behind. Other significant nodes are Madrid, Stockholm and Helsinki. Munich is one of the few non-capital cities with several headquarters. Prague and Budapest have some.

Urban Drivers The core and the north of Europe lead in many aspects related to competitiveness. Main urban centres are strong hubs. Universities, cultural industries, first for telecomm’ updates.

Small and medium-sized towns Some rural areas “over- perform”. 72% of Europe’s population lives in settlements of <100,000. Can offer a high quality of life. Accessibility matters. Restructuring and post- productivist countryside.

Policy relevant findings Strong growth poles inside & outside core. Territorial governance can be a driver of regional competitiveness. Culture and natural environment can offer synergies to the jobs and growth agenda. Nodes in global networks.

Thanks for listening Cliff Hague