Archives Tagged as : EU

8 May 2013 Posted by GE for CEE

Deal of the Giants – What About CEE?

On May 9 we are celebrating the birth of the European Union. The EU was established with the aim of creating peace, but its dynamism and success is based on its involvement in economics. More than half a century later, an even bigger alliance is in the making, when a transatlantic trade and investment partnership (TTIP) is to take place between the two largest economies of the world: that of the US and the EU. With over 4.7 trillion USD combined bilateral trade and investment, not to mention the combined GDP, the deal is about to turn the global economy, as we know it today around. This agreement was urged by many, including European AmChams, for some time. After the first rounds of enthusiasm around TTPI it is time to reflect how this move may effect CEE. To find out, GE for CEE brings you the opinion of those, who were and would be at the frontline of the changes that the new partnership will hopefully bring.

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15 April 2013 Posted by Joerg Bauer

Go for Sustainable Healthcare

Guest post by David Boyd, GE Healthcare Europe’s Director of Government and Public Policy

Some 18 months ago, as European governments and healthcare providers were coming to terms with the realities of the financial crisis, The European Coordination Committee of the Radiological, Electromedical and Healthcare IT Industry (COCIR), the trade association for Europe’s diagnostics and healthcare IT sectors, was suggesting that investing in innovative technologies to improve healthcare systems would be a wise use of the limited finances available in countries. Primarily, COCIR was thinking of public financing – through government procurement or through the use of EU Structural Funds in eligible countries such as those in Central and South Eastern Europe, to expand healthcare infrastructure.

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10 April 2013 Posted by GE for CEE

Innovate or Stagnate

Guest post by Hugh Gillanders, GE’s Director for Public Affairs Europe

If Europe is to drive growth and competiveness it needs to invest in building an EU wide ‘innovation ecosystem’ to avoid what the EU’s Commission for Innovation and Research, Maire Geoghegan-Quinn described as ‘an innovation divide in Europe’. Similarly, this will ensure Europe remains competitive in the global economy. The message once again for the EU is: ‘Innovate or Stagnate’.

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25 March 2013 Posted by Adriana Mirela Mircea

Our Danube as an Instrument for Macro-regional Cooperation

Guest post by Brandușa Predescu, National Coordinator of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Since its EU accession on January 1^st 2007, Romania has been an active member by promoting several initiatives, including the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR). It is one of the most significant efforts with long term impact. Under the political initiative launched by Romania and Austria in 2008 and following the consultation with the region’s states and stakeholders, the European Commission drafted the Strategy. Together with its Action Plan, it was adopted by the European Council on June 24^th, 2011.

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20 March 2013 Posted by GE for CEE

Innovation: Win-Win Game for Both Private Sector and Society

Guest post by Edit Herczog, Member of the European Parliament, Member of the EP Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, rapporteur on comparative chapter of the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework of the EU

Historically, either conflicts or wars or technology advancements helped to overcome a crisis. We either head towards conflicts and to increasing dividedness in the wake of the crisis of 2008, or we manage to integrate technology advancements in our everyday lives so that we can gain a competitive edge. For that, we need far more than financial tools for research and innovation. There are key questions that we need to address: can we achieve and implement a new era; can we secure the European leadership for the next decades? Can we achieve growth and create more jobs to keep our economy and satisfy our citizens being employers or employees, working in the public or private sector?

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19 December 2012 Posted by GE for CEE

Europe Needs More Flexible and Effective Innovation Policy

Guest post by Edit Herczog, Member of the European Parliament

At the Horizon 2020: The parliament speaks event organized by the Science Business Network in Brussels I stressed that in the framework of the European science policy there will be a need for greater flexibility, risk sharing and a more effective financial model. On this webcasted live interactive forum I stressed that according to the updated budget figures it seems that the European Council does not see what Europe needs, does not hear what people want, and does not say exactly what their plans are.

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17 December 2012 Posted by Adriana Mirela Mircea

Innovation – a Great Opportunity for Getting the European Economy Back on Track

Guest post by Leonard Orban, Romanian Minister of European Affairs

In the last decades, globalization coupled more recently with the economic crisis, have brought a whole series of new challenges and opportunities both in economic and social terms. It has become now clear that in order to successfully compete in the new environment, the European Union has to live up to the markets’ exigencies of fierce competition and high competitiveness.

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11 June 2012 Posted by GE for CEE

The Next Stage

Guest post by Tom Cwiok, the editor of American Investor, the official magazine of the American Chamber of Commerce in Poland

When he showed up for an interview about the importance of the Transatlantic relations in the global economy, Lesław Kuzaj, CEO of GE for Poland, had a sheet of paper in his hand with numbers and figures. Soon it was clear to me that Mr Kuzaj had done his homework. He came to talk about a vision for North America and the EU not only in terms of great political and cultural ideas on which to build a common transatlantic future but, equipped with a solid economic argument, he presented upsides of a free-trade agreement between the NAFTA countries and the EU.

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14 May 2012 Posted by Eszter Szabó

Is Low Carbon a Blessing for CEE?

Guest post by Christian Egenhofer, Associate Senior Research Fellow and head of the Energy and Climate Program, Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS), Brussels

Poorer eastern EU member states are privileged when it comes to low-carbon transition but the window of opportunity is closing fast. While the transition to a low-carbon economy is all about technology, it is ultimately government policy that matters. Nowhere is this truer than in the poorer member states in Central and Eastern Europe. Contrary to what we think, Central and Eastern European EU member states are in a privileged position, but only if they seize their opportunities.

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11 May 2012 Posted by GE for CEE

Why Europe Matters

AmCham EU hosted its ninth annual Doorknock in the US between 7-10 May. The organisation chaired by Hendrik Bourgeois of GE Europe, presented its European study Why U.S. companies should stay the course at an event hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington D.C. 8 May.

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