At the 16the meeting of the European Committee of the Regions' SEDEC commission, held on 21 November in Brussels, members held an exchange of views on the draft opinion "Strengthening Innovation in Europe's Regions: strategies for resilient, inclusive and sustainable growth", prepared by EA member Mikel Irujo Amezaga, representative of the government of Navarra in Brussels.
During the debate, which was attended by CoR members, experts and representatives of the European Commission's DG REGIO and DG RTD, Mr Irujo outlined three main suggestions for the European decision-makers:
- to address the current complexity of rules which are killing imagination
- to adopt a clear legal framework and a "carrot and sticks" approach
- to develop tools (such as the Seal of Excellence which was mentioned as a good example but still needs improvement)
Mr Irujo also said that Smart Specialisation 2.0. will be about how to connect existing regional strategies.
The opinion "Strengthening Innovation in Europe's Regions: strategies for resilient, inclusive and sustainable growth" is set to be adopted at the next SEDEC commission meeting which will take place in Brussels on 21 February 2018.
