Innovation should be core part of Juncker's 300-billion growth plan

Innovation is the best way to lead Europe out of the crisis. New products will create new jobs and growth. Innovation therefore should form a core part of the 300-billion-euro growth plan that the European Commission will soon present.

MEPs Lambert van Nistelrooij and Jerzy Buzek stated this today at a press conference. They hosted the Innovation Summit, with over 30 seminars and 1000 specialised visitors in the European Parliament.

"Techniques like advanced manufacturing offer so many opportunities for new products 'made in Europe': we can even start 3D-printing cars. This could create so much production in Europe! Some manufacturers will no longer need factories in China," said Van Nistelrooij.

Jerzy Buzek  stated: "Thinking about a crisis-exit strategy, reindustrialisation could be our most important tool. But we need to reindustrialise our continent in a modern way. Innovation is an engine for reindustrialisation."

Slovenian MEP Alojz Peterle hosted a session on innovation in healthcare. He remarked: "When we talk about a paradigm shift, we should not be talking about cosmetics. We should be speaking about essential changes in the way we approach health systems, as we need to switch from disease to health-oriented systems."

The 6th Innovation summit welcomed 4 EU Commissioners. Van Nistelrooij: "We have given the Commissioners some directions for innovation policy in their new mandate. We have put them in the cockpit, and we feel sure they will land this policy very well."