Europe’s industrial competitiveness is largely built in regions in where ecosystems, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), skills, infrastructure and innovation networks are concentrated. In an opinion on the Industrial Accelerator Act, adopted during the plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) on 14 October, local and regional leaders called for the Act to strengthen Europe’s industrial competitiveness while ensuring that regions and cities have the capacity to deliver the transition without widening territorial disparities.
In the opinion, CoR members call for the Industrial Accelerator Act to take a strong territorial approach, with regions and cities fully involved in delivering Europe’s industrial transition. They highlighted that geographical concentration of industrial activity leaves specialised regions particularly exposed to downturns, especially those dependent on energy-intensive industries, automotive manufacturing and clean-tech supply chains. They therefore called for implementation of the Act to be simple and predictable, with streamlined procedures and reduced administrative burdens, particularly for SMEs. CoR members also support the proposal for single access points in each Member State for industrial projects as a means to improve coordination and speed up permitting, while fully respecting regional and local competences.
