Since the 1990s, growth in the EU15 has been weak. The share of the EU15 in world production has been declining below that of the US and the transatlantic gap has increased to reach 30%. The EU as a trade area has also become more open to global flows, including from emerging countries. The weakness of innovation-based growth in Europe has become a major issue on the EU agenda. The Lisbon Strategy (2000) aimed precisely at strengthening the EU's potential growth. The heterogeneity of the EU and the Union's limited competencies in such policy areas as labor markets and innovation have hindered progress towards the Lisbon objectives which depend on a better identification of the respective roles of national and EU policies.

Frédérique Sachwald is Head of Economic Studies at Ifri and her present works deal with the impact of global production and innovation networks rising on productive systems, in the advanced countries like developing ones.