Speech on the Future of Business in Europe

Here is a summary of my speech that happens now in half an hour:

I am afraid we discussed so many negative issues about the current situation of Business in Europe. Our table at the preparative session actually changed the subject of the session from "Building a business friendly Europe" into "Going out of a business Enemy Europe".

Fortunately, we focused on concrete solutions I would like to share with you today.

1. Decrease the regulations in the EU and member Countries
-change the fiscal framework into an Entrepreneur friendly environment, adapt the framework of the 10 to the 15, not the opposite (4 euros paid by a company in Austria for every net Euro in a citizen pocket working for it)
-make it easy to create a company throughout Europe, make a European Company structure a reality and get to results in European patent and branding.

2. Entrepreneurship
-improve the image of Entrepreneurs in Europe by explaining the role they play (jobs creation, compare with the US the image, if they fail they are considered as losers)
-risk should become desirable. Being comfortable is impossible and illusive, the ideal of Leisure and less working time is not sustainable (35 hours law in France, some people taking long holidays and resigning from their jobs protected by the system)
-promote the role of early stage investments in young companies, business angels, help entrepreneurs get initial financing
-life long entrepreneurial education starting at school is the way to go

3. Measure, gather and promote centers of excellence.
We need to focus on our successes and build Silicon Valleys of Europe all around the EU.
Examples of current centers of excellence:
-Telecom Valley in the Nordic region
-London as a Global Financial Hub
-Retail and Distribution (UK with Tesco, France with Promodes and Auchan, Belgium with Delhaize, Sweden with Ikea, Spain with El Corte Ingles)
-Nano technology R&D in many countries (Hungary, Germany)
-Design, Fashion and Luxury Sectors in Italy and France

4. Education
-needs for an Education and training reform. EU students are some of the best educated in the world but they face obstacles becoming stars and innovators
-make business contribute more to education by creating strong links with Universities as it happens in the US (Berkley, Stanford, Google)
-increase competition within Universities, make the students rank the teachers.

5. Information Society as a priority
-focus on e-governance and make it a top agenda for Governments
-accessing countries as examples of successes:
Poland: get a Passport online in three days
Estonia: 60% of the population are every day Internet users, Ministers use the paperless Internet to publish and share ideas with citizens (5% of all citizen ideas are used as amendments and bills), Guaranteed Internet Access for Each Estonian (Public free Internet Access points)

6. R&D and Innovation
-increase the budget for R&D, US is close to three times as more as ours
-promote the image and protect scientists (400 000 EU scientists moved to the US, 3000 French scientists went on strike)

Conclusion

We should focus more on the "what" than the "how", on the Future than the Past, on the risk than the Comfort.
We should measure and publish our successes, restore confidence in European Business Leaders

Leif Pagrotsky, Minister for Trade and Industry in Sweden: "We should see enlargement as a vitamin injection to our EU affairs". This applies so strongly to Business in Europe.