City of Mülheim an Der Ruhr (Stadt Mülheim an Der Ruhr)

City of Mülheim an Der Ruhr (Stadt Mülheim an Der Ruhr)

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EU local and regional authorities contribute to the

mid-term review of Europe 2020

Assessment of the flagship initiative

An industrial policy for the globalisation era

Almost three years after the launch of Europe 2020, the Committee of the Regions has launched a broad assessment of the Strategy in preparation for its mid-term review, expected in 2014.

As part of this assessment, the replies to this questionnaire on the state of play of the flagship initiative Anindustrial policy for the globalisation erawill be discussed at a conference to be held on 10 April2013 in Brussels.

This conference will be the third in a series of CoR events and monitoring initiatives on the Europe 2020 flagship initiatives, preparing the mid-term review in 2014. More news on this conference can be found on the CoR website[1].By participating in this survey, you will:

  • ensure that your views are taken into account in the debate held during the conference;
  • contribute to the CoR's consultative activity over the coming months, to include an opinion drafted by Claude Gewerc, President of Picardy Regional Council (PES/FR), scheduled for adoption at the CoR plenary session on 10-11 April 2013;
  • contribute to the fourth CoR Monitoring Report on Europe 2020, to be published in October 2013;
  • contribute to the mid-term review of Europe 2020 in 2014.

If you wish to participate in this survey, please complete this questionnaire in any eu language, using the spaces provided, and return it in text format to:

by 1 March 2013

The questionnaire will be available in all languages in mid January

For more information on this survey and for details on how to join the Europe 2020 Monitoring Platform, go to:

CDR1702-2013_00_00_TRA_TCD

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Contributor information[2]

Name of sender: / Mayor Dagmar Mühlenfeld
Contact details:
(address, telephone, email) / Am Rathaus 1
45468 Mülheim an der Ruhr
Tel. (0208) 455-9901

On behalf of:
(name of local or regional authority) / City of Mülheim an der Ruhr
Type of organisation / City/Town/Municipality Region
County/ProvinceAssociation of local and/or regional authorities
Other (please specify)
Country: / Germany
Member of the EUROPE 2020 Monitoring Platform: / Yes No

Current policy challenges and responses at regional and local level

1)What are the main challenges faced by industry in your region/city?
Please answer with respect to competitiveness (market trends; positioning in the market; competitors) and employment (finding the necessary workforce with the right skills; ability to create new jobs).
Mülheim an der Ruhr has a long tradition as a centre of industry as part of the Ruhr region. Industry, primarily made up of SMEs, is the engine of the local economy, generating considerable revenues and employment from both producers and related service providers. Producers are responsible for 33% of jobs and 25.9% of overall added value, and thus underpin the local economy.
Current challenges includeenvironment, approval and authorisation requirements, restrictions on expansion and growth due to scarcity of land for industry, and rising resource and energy costs.Lack of sufficiently skilled labour is already emerging as another medium-term challenge.
2)Do these challenges differ from thosefaced in 2010 (when the Europe 2020 strategy was launched)? If so, in what respect?
Please make a distinction between structural problems and problems resulting from the impact of the economic and financial crisis.
The challenges outlined in response to question 1 already existed in 2010 and have not seriously changed since then. Problems such as the collapse in demand in many international markets and difficulties securing financing for investment that persisted in 2010 in the wake of the economic and financial crisis have largely been overcome.
3)How are your regional/local policies addressing these challenges?
Please make clear whether you are (i) working on the basis of a local/regional industrial strategy; (ii) providing direct support to firms and networks/clusters; (iii) encouraging stronger relationships between firms, universities, public and private research institutions; (iv) improving the business environment, including through administrative simplification; (v) undertaking a proactive industrial policy, focusing on certain activities or sectors; or a mix of these actions.
Please provide examples (or at least web references[3]).
The Mülheim & Business GmbH Economic Development Corporation (M&B) is currently working with neighbouring authorities to draw up a regional industrial master plan to address the present challenges.
M&B is active in a number of regional and cross-regional networks to support businesses and also initiates its own networks offering targeted support to develop key sectors. Examples include the network for cooperation between local authorities to place businesses looking for a location, which currently includes ten Ruhr local authorities, and Meotec, the regional network for sustainable technology/environment technology (
To boost technology transfer between businesses and the Hochschule Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences, which is based in Mülheim und Bottrop, M&B provides Meotec's management and develops organisational models specifically tailored for businesses.
M&B is a one stop shop and a guide to administrative matters for businesses. In addition, the entire City government has reassessed the way it operates with a view to better serving businesses, earning it the RAL Quality Mark for SME-friendly local authorities in 2009.
The economic development corporations of Mülheim und Essen offer a package of tailored advisory services for small and medium-sized producers in the form of the project "Duchstarten in der Produktion! Kosten senken – Leistung Steigern" ("Get started with production – cut costs, boost output.").
BOX 1 – An Industrial Policy for the Globalisation Era
The Europe 2020 flagship initiative An integrated industrial policy for the globalisation era, adopted by the European Commission on 28 October 2010, sets out a strategy that aims to boost growth and jobs by maintaining and supporting a strong, diversified and competitive industrial base in Europe, offering well-paid jobs while becoming more resource-efficient[4]. The flagship initiative highlights ten key actions for European industrial competitiveness:
  1. "competitiveness proofing" i.e. analysis of the impact on competitiveness of all policy proposals;
  2. "fitness checks" of existing legislation aimed at reducing the cumulative effects of legislation in order to cut costs for businesses in Europe;
  3. making it easier for SMEs to access credit and facilitating their internationalisation;
  4. a strategy to strengthen European standardisation;
  5. more efficient European transport, energy and communication infrastructure and services to serve European industry;
  6. a new strategy on raw materials creating the right framework conditions for sustainable supply and management of domestic primary raw materials;
  7. addressing sector-specific innovation performance with specific actions, in such areas as advanced manufacturing technologies, construction, bio-fuels and road and rail transport, particularly with a view to improving resource efficiency;
  8. actions to improve framework conditions and support innovation in energy-intensive industries;
  9. a space industrial policy creating a solid industrial base and covering the whole supply chain;
  10. reporting on Europe’s and Member States' competitiveness, industrial policies and performance on an annual basis.
These actions are implemented through more than 70 measures, whose state of play can be found on DG Enterprise and Industry's website[5].
You can find more information on An industrial policy for the globalisation era,seen from the point of view of local and regional authorities, in the Committee of the Regions' publication Delivering on the Europe 2020 Strategy. Handbook for Local and Regional Authorities[6]. General information on Europe 2020 can be found on the strategy's official website[7].

How is the Europe 2020 flagship initiative An industrial Policy for the Globalisation Era relevant to your city or region?

4)With respect to industrial policy, how would you evaluate the support your city/region has received from EU policies so far? Was it sufficient in view of the challenges you are facing in this area? As concerns EU-financed investments, in which area has more added value been created (e.g. infrastructure, skills, innovation, etc.)?
Please answer with reference to the various existing strands of EU policy (Europe 2020 flagship initiative "An industrial policy in the globalisation era", Structural Funds, 7th Framework Programme, Competitiveness and Innovation Programme, etc.).
Please comment both on the policy tools used and on funding.
First of all, any form of EU support for industrial policy is welcome. Projects supported with EU funds, such as Game Development Initiative Ruhr ( and Meotec ( have made an important contribution to networking businesses, promoting innovation and retaining know-how in the region.
Overall, however, support from EU policy cannot be seen as sufficient in light of the challenges mentioned above, because the City is still denied access to important sources of funding. Including Mülheim an der Ruhr in a regional economic development programme would provide new opportunities to better shape local industrial policy and implement the Europe 2020 strategy.
Another point of criticism is that, given the pressures on local authority budgets, programmes requiring own contributions of more than 30% are no longer affordable for the City, which considerably limits its room for manoeuvre in terms of policy.
5)The Europe 2020 flagship initiative An integrated industrial policy for the globalisation era[8] (see Box 1 above),as reviewed by the Commission Communication A stronger European industry for growth and economic recovery[9]of 10 October 2012,sets out a "renewed industrial policy" based on the four pillars presented in Box 2 below.
Which of these pillars are more relevant to your specific local/regional situation?
The Investments in innovation and Human capital and skills pillars are most relevant to Mülheim an der Ruhr.
BOX 2 - An industrial policy for the globalisation era: 2012 update
The flagship initiative on industrial policy, as reviewed by the Communication of 10 October 2012, places more emphasis on short-term, growth-enhancing measures resulting from the economic crisis and its impact on EU industry. The flagship initiative is based on an extensive consultation of stakeholders carried out in the first half of 2012, which highlighted the impact of the crisis in terms of job losses, the decline of industrial production and very low business confidence. Those short-term problems go hand in hand with EU industry's structural competitiveness problems. The European Commission's response is based on these four “pillars of the reinforced industrial policy”, to be addressed through partnership involving the EU, its Member States and industry:
Investments ininnovation, with a focus on six priority areas with great potential (advanced manufacturing technologies for clean production; key enabling technologies; bio-based products; sustainable industrial and construction policy and raw materials; clean vehicles and vessels; smart grids).
Better market conditions, both in the internal market, with special reference to goods, entrepreneurship and the protection of intellectual property rights, and in international markets.
Access to finance and capitals, through better mobilising and targeting of public resources, including from the EIB, and by unlocking private funds.
Human capital and skills, to promote job creation and better anticipation of, and investments in, the skills needed to promote industry's competitiveness[10].

Are your country's policies relevant to your city or region?

6)To help meet these objectives, your country has set its own targets, which you can find at Are your country's targets appropriate to your local (regional) situation?
Please explain, bearing in mind that "An industrial policy for the globalisation era" can potentially contribute to at least the following Europe 2020 targets:
in a quite direct manner: 75% of the 20-64 year-olds to be employed; 3% of the EU's GDP to be invested in research and innovation (public and private investment);
- in an indirect manner: 20% less greenhouse gas emissions than in 1990; 20% of energy from renewables; 20% increase in energy efficiency.
The targets are appropriate to our local situation.
7)Do you think that the industrial competitiveness policies set in your country's current (2012) National Reform Programme[11] meet the needs of your city or region?
If not, how would you change your National Reform Programme next year?
Competitiveness policies largely meet the City's needs.
8)Which measures in the field of industrial competitiveness policycould be more helpful in the short term?
Cutting bureaucracy in EU funding programmes so as to reduce the amount of time it takes to apply for and access funds, and increased use of standardised procedures to reduce the burden of documentation and proof that needs to provided, could help to make local industry more competitive.

Managing and funding issues

9)Is industrial competitiveness policy in your region/city adequately funded? Apart from EU funding (which you described in your reply to question 4) to what extent did you have recourse to other sources (e.g., PPPs, financial engineering)? Do you think you will have enough funds to run your policy programmes in this field in the future?
As explained in response to question 4, industrial and competitiveness policiesare underfunded in Mülheim an der Ruhr. In future it will be increasingly difficult to provide the own contributions required.
10)What kind of cooperation/coordination takes place between your region/city and the national and EU levels in the fields of industrial competitiveness policy?
Do you see any room for even stronger cooperationbetween different tiers of government in this field? If so, please explain.
EU funding programmes are deployed by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia primarily in the form of a call for tender from groups targeted by the programme. We tender bids as a City/economic development corporation, mainly in cooperation with SMEs and universities. At state level a special committee oversees implementation of the programme; we are represented on this committee as the Mülheim/Essen/Oberhausen urban region.
11)Are theforthcoming Partnership Agreements/Contracts(under the new 2014-2020 cohesion policy)an opportunity for better coordinationbetween different tiers of government in the field of industrial policy? If so, why? And what could be the role of the different stakeholders (other levels of government and other stakeholders)?
No.
12)Please addany further comments you might wish to make on the matters dealt with in this questionnaire.
No comments.
SHARE YOUR GOOD PRACTICE
With a view to the CoR conference to be held on 10 April2013 and the exhibition of good practices in the fields covered by An industrial policy for the globalisation era, you might wish to submit an example of good practice. To do so, please complete the form available on our website:

/ JOIN THE EUROPE 2020 MONITORING PLATFORM
To help convey the voice of EU cities and regions in the implementation of Europe 2020 at EU level and in your country, join us. For details on how, see:

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION!

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[2]Privacy Statement: The follow-up to your contribution requires that your personal data (name, contact details, etc.) be processed in a file. All the answers to the questions are voluntary. Your replies will be kept for a period of 5 years after the receipt of your questionnaire. Should you require any further information or wish to exercise your rights under Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 (e.g. to access, rectify or delete your data), please contact the data controller at . If necessary, you may also contact the CoR Data Protection Officer (). You have the right of recourse to the European Data Protection Supervisor at any time ( Please note that the questionnaire with your contribution and your contact details will be published online. Your questionnaire may be transmitted to CoR rapporteurs and other EU institutions for information. Should you not agree to this, please inform us accordingly.

[3]You may also submit your good practice to the CoR online database on Europe 2020 policy cases:

[4]More information at:

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[6]The Handbook can be downloaded from:

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[10]This pillar is addressed by another CoR survey (deadline: 21 January 2013) available on the following website:

[11]Your country's current National Reform Programme can be found here:

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