It is time to take stock of the goals set ten years ago by EU leaders in terms of employment, innovation, social cohesion and environment (Lisbon 2010). Among Italian regions only Emilia Romagna did better than Lombardy.
The performance analysis must consider that ten years ago the European leaders could not foresee the economic – financial crisis that started in 2009, the worst in the post-war period.
Italy’s most active regions to reach the ambitious competitiveness goals set by EU leaders have been:
- Emilia Romagna
- Lombardy
- Valle d’Aosta
- Piedmont
- Trentino Alto Adige.
The scores given to the regions range from 0 (Lisbon’s goal reached) to 100 (furthest distance from target). Emilia Romagna scored 29,9 points, Lombardy 36,9 pts., Valle d’Aosta 37,7 pts., Piedmont 39,3 pts and Trentino Alto Adige 42,6 pts.
This ranking, prepared by a survey company called Sintesi, took into account four different parameters:
- Innovation (R&D / GDP ratio and private R&D expenses / total R&D ratio)
- employment and childhood care
- social cohesion (school levels, continuing education programs, number of graduates in scientific fields)
- environment (renewable energies contribution in the production of electric energy).
In Lombardy private investments in R&D, equal to 76,6%, well exceed the 66% threshold set by the UE. On the other hand Italy does not reach the goal of the R&D investments in respect to the GDP (set at 3%).
Program Driade’s seven clusters
There are almost 250 industrial hubs in the Italian territory which absorb more than half of the total rate of employment in the manufacture business. In Lombardy alone there are 23 of such realities. Only three other regions can boast a higher number, Veneto (46), Marche (30) and Piedmont (29).
Lombardy’s Driade Program aims to contribute to the evolution of the meta-district model and support the aggregation of local productive chains and systems. The seven clusters born within this program are:
- The Milan automotive, with 90 companies and is lead by the Politecnico of Milan
- Safe, accessible and sustainable living (lead by Comonext) with almost 150 companies
- Aerospace network (under the leadership of the Varese Chamber of Industry) gathers more that 100 companies
- Cosmetic meta-district, sponsored by the Unipro (Italian association of cosmetic companies)
- Lombardy’ Navigation Industry, which reunites 100 companies (lead by Micromega Network – Fashion and Industry s.r.l.)
- Thermo electro-mechanics and energy supplies district with 80 companies (lead by Euroimpresa Legnano s.r.l.)
- Sport weapons integrated productive chain lead by the province of Brescia.
At the end of 2009, these productive chain aggregations have been admitted to the second phase of the project. Now they will have to submit their plans in order to receive regional funding.