PUBLIC CONSULTATION

New Action Plan: Innovate for a Competitive Europe

Enterprise Europe, Brussels, 14 April 2004 – To improve competitiveness, productivity, added value and growth, Europe needs more innovation. The Enterprise Directorate-General is developing a new innovation action plan to address the main market deficiencies that currently hamper innovation in European enterprises. In this context a public consultation is welcoming contributions from innovation stakeholders throughout Europe.

The Plan will mobilise resources and rally the Member States around ambitious common objectives, while placing the enterprise at the centre of innovation policy. It emphasises the importance of both technological and non-technological innovation, including new business concepts and organisational or presentational innovation. It targets services and traditional as well as high-tech sectors.

It also takes account of the all-embracing nature of innovation, aiming to create the basis for an efficient dialogue among all innovation stakeholders, policy-makers, regions, research, civil society and enterprises.

This consultation, open until 31st May, seeks comments from interested parties in the public and private sector, administrations, industry, services, finance, research, education and civil society.