European companies are increasingly adopting digital technologies, but there are still big disparities between EU countries with regard to digital transformation performance. The vast majority of European companies have adopted a 1st wave of digital technologies, and 64% of companies investing in digital technologies have generated positive outcomes. But the new wave of technology adoption is more challenging and there are still high disparities between EU countries where digital transformation performance is concerned. 

The European Commission published its fifth monitoring report in which it reviewed activities implemented by 19 EU-level organisations in 2015 funded under the EU's Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) and 30 projects supported by its predecessor programmes PROGRESS and EURES (2013-2016). This time the focus was not only on potential good practices, but also on the European added value. Analysing project results is part of EaSI's performance monitoring.

The TAIEX-REGIO PEER 2 PEER instrument has been given the green light to continue until 2020! Based on the great demand and the positive feedback from users, the European Commission's Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy decided to prolong it to cover the entire current programming period.

2016 has been a challenging year, but the inspiring social innovation we've seen all over Europe has kept us feeling hopeful for the future. And we're excited to see what 2017 has got in store for the sector! Last year's European Social Innovation Competition saw over 1,000 applications from 36 countries, seeking solutions for the integration of refugees and migrants. And in October we awarded 3 brilliant winners with a prize of €50,000 each, showcasing true innovation for integrated futures.

Today the Commission is presenting an ambitious and balanced package of measures that will make it easier for companies and professionals to provide services to a potential customer base of 500 million people in the EU. A fresh boost to the services sector will benefit consumers, jobseekers and businesses, and will generate economic growth across Europe.

We all know that in these difficult times cities face ever increasing urban challenges linked to demographic change, climate and environmental targets, unemployment and urban poverty to name but a few. As urban practitioners, we are all seeking practices which are relevant and overcome these barriers. Such practices, as far as URBACT is concerned, come in all shapes and sizes, all themes and topics. And when we say ‘good practice’ we do not necessarily mean something grand, innovative and demonstrating excellence.

In the framework of the H2020 project "EUROSYN - Improve innovation services for SMEs by enabling synergies between R&D&I European funds”, using the Twinning Advanced methodology, project partners will elaborate a Design Option Paper (DOP), which will serve as a “guide” or a “handbook” to other innovation agencies to design and/or deliver similar, more enterprise-friendly programs and services to raise more R&D&I funds. A professional expert with extensive knowledge and experience on eco-innovation support for SMEs will be subcontracted to moderate the partners’ peer learning activities.

The EUROSYN project (Improve innovation services for SMEs by enabling synergies between R&D&I European funds) was officially launched in October 2016. It has been funded by the HORIZON 2020 European program under grant agreement No 730806. The partners are Friuli Innovazione (Italy), FTI Burgenland GmbH (Austria) and KEPA - Business & Cultural Development Centre (Greece), three innovation agencies supporting SMEs in their competitive development processes. 

The 7 winners of the 10th edition of the European Enterprise Promotion Awards (EEPAs) were announced at the SME Assembly in Bratislava, with the Grand Jury Prize being awarded to a Swedish project from Gothenburg. The 6 other projects that each won their category came from France, the UK, Portugal, Finland, Serbia and the Netherlands.

The SME Performance Review is one of the main tools the European Commission uses to monitor and assess countries' progress in implementing the Small Business Act(SBA) on a yearly basis. With an emphasis on the measures from the SBA Action Plan, the review brings comprehensive information on the performance of SMEs in EU countries and other partner countries. It consists of two parts: an annual report on European SMEs and SBA country fact sheets.