02165nam a22003617u 4500 pwiiw7280 OSt 20260516120037.0 250403t2025 au ||||| |||| 00| ||eng d OSt eng F14 F15 O11 O47 O52 jelc Ferrazzi, Matteo The future of the EU's competitive position: The role of Central Eastern European countries Wien : Wiener Institut für Internationale Wirtschaftsvergleiche (wiiw), 2025. 24 S., 1 Table, 8 Figures and 2 Boxes, 30cm. wiiw Policy Notes and Reports 93 The Draghi Report recommended actions to secure the long-term EU competitive position but did not discuss the challenges related to specific countries or regional groups, including those of Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. While CEE economies remain focused on manufacturing, especially the automotive industry, they are gradually shifting from being the EU's manufacturing hub to developing higher value-added activities. However, income convergence has slowed, suggesting the need to rethink their growth model. Our research highlights growth opportunities and suggests ways to reduce barriers to innovation. Policy should focus on three areas: strengthening human capital, fostering innovation, and addressing energy intensity and its relatively high costs. Key actions include increasing labour market participation, ensuring access to start-up finance and risk capital, and reducing the region’s reliance on brown energy, particularly through grid and generation investment and the development of greener businesses. Competitiveness trade innovation Central Eastern Europe CEE International Trade, Competitiveness and FDI Guadagno, Francesca Hanzl-Weiss, Doris Schanz, Jochen Slačík, Tomáš Stehrer, Robert 5 93 WIIW0000092 wiiw Policy Notes and Reports https://wiiw.ac.at/p-7280.html P 9112 9112 0 0 0 0 BIB BIB 1 2025-04-03 pwiiw7280 0 93 1000010007280 2025-04-03 00:00:00 2025-04-07 P