Press Release: Powerful clusters: Main drivers of Europe’s competitiveness

Competitive clusters are powerful engines of economic development and drivers for innovation in the European Union. They provide a fertile business environment for companies, especially Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs), to collaborate with research institutions, suppliers, customers and competitors located in the same geographical area. A Commission communication published on 17 October, 2008, called for more efforts for facilitating the emergence of world-class clusters in the European Union. It addressed key challenges to achieve this: Deepening the internal market, improving cluster policies, fostering trans-national cooperation, promoting excellence of cluster organisations, and improving the integration of innovative SMEs into clusters.