High-technology and medium-high technology industries main drivers of EU-27’s industrial growth

Since 2005, the industrial production index and other short-term statistics (STS) indicators developed much more favourably for EU-27 high-tech manufacturing than for industry as a whole. Despite the financial and economic crisis, high-technology manufacturing production increased by 26% between the first quarter of 2005 and the third quarter of 2012. In contrast, for industry as a whole, the level of production in 2012 is almost the same as in 2005. Medium-low-technology and low-technology production even shrank during the period under observation (5% and -6%). Medium-high technology industries increased by 7%.