Due to the increased need for cost-efficient procedures and the pressure on public expenditure, the European market for pharmaceutical products is less dynamic than in the past. This high-technology sector is faced with the following challenges: austerity measures introduced by European governments, rapid growth in the market and research in emerging economies, and migration of economic, research and development activities outside of Europe.
Download — Industrial Changes in the European Pharmaceutical Sector
The Commission launched the initiative "Opening up Education" to improve the use of Open Educational Resources and Massive Open Online Courses and the ICT infrastructure and connectivity in schools.
The EESC agrees that the digital approach in education improves its quality and creativity. Required will be the involvement of teachers and the mobilisation of all stakeholders. The initiative must be supported by EU and national funding and coordinated by the Commission. Students' social inclusion must be ensured.
The EESC supports the European Commission's proposal for a regulation and the specific measures to accelerate the establishment of a single market for electronic communications as a basis for the dynamic and sustainable growth of all sectors of the economy and the creation of new jobs. It will also assure the high level of consumer protection.
Download — New measures on the EU single market for telecoms
The EESC welcomes the special attention devoted to drawing up a European Union Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR), in order to support cohesion and competitiveness in the light of challenges that cannot be satisfactorily resolved by single regions or countries through the usual means. The EESC believes that EUSAIR must adopt a comprehensive programme with an action-oriented list of projects and schemes, and strongly recommends that better use be made of the private sector's potential to attract investment (both local and international) and to create business opportunities. Simultaneously, the strategy should include a stronger social dimension, in order to better support inclusive growth in the Adriatic and Ionian region.
Download — EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR)
