91997E3870

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3870/97 by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission (5 December 1997)

Subject: Competitiveness of European industry

The Commission has submitted a communication on benchmarking - implementation of an instrument available to economic actors and public authorities (COM(97) 153 final), which can serve as an appropriate basis for using an instrument of comparative analysis of competitiveness.

This initiative needs to be fully consistent with other Community policies, particularly in the fields of research and development, innovation, economic and social cohesion and undertakings.

Will the Commission use benchmarking to measure the efficiency of the policies it has adopted (internal market, regional policy, research and development)?

Answer given by Mr Bangemann on behalf of the Commission (30 January 1998)

The Commission welcomes the endorsement of its view that benchmarking can equip the Community with a powerful tool to compare performance in the different key areas and factors that determine economic success. In this regard, the Commission believes that benchmarking can play an important role in the evaluation of Community policies.

With a view to fostering widespread adoption of benchmarking as an instrument for influencing policy directions, the Commission is currently implementing a number of pilot projects in key policy areas affecting framework conditions. The pilot project process will allow an effective working methodology for benchmarking to evolve through a consensus approach, involving all relevant parties and based on transparency, dialogue and expertise. It is envisaged that the methodology being developed through this process will subsequently be applied systematically in a wide range of areas, including other Community policies.

The Commission would also point out that initial steps towards benchmarking of the other Community policies identified in the question are already underway. The internal market action plan represents a form of benchmarking under which progress against targets will be monitored on an ongoing basis. Under the integrated programme for small and medium entreprises (SMEs) and the craft sector ((COM(96) 329 final. )), the Commission and the Member States will develop concerted actions under which benchmarking will play an important role in promoting best practice in the area of administrative simplification and support measures for enterprises.

In the case of economic and social cohesion, it is already the case that regional development programmes co-financed by the Community in principle contain quantified targets based on analysis of inter-regional differences in economic performance and competitiveness. The effectiveness of the programmes ex post is then assessed against the quantified targets established initially.