The European Commission published recommendations by a group of experts, the Strategic Forum on Important Projects of Common European Interest, to boost Europe's competitiveness and global leadership in six strategic and future-oriented industrial sectors: Connected, clean and autonomous vehicles; Hydrogen technologies and systems; Smart health; Industrial Internet of Things; Low-carbon industry; and Cybersecurity.

Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEIs) comprise innovative research projects that often entail significant risks and require joint, well-coordinated efforts and transnational investments by public authorities and industries from several Member States. The aim is to invest jointly in Europe's industrial strengths and assets to generate jobs and growth across sectors and regions and strengthen the EU’s role on the global stage. In addition to recommendations specific to each of the value chains, the report also identifies horizontal enabling actions:

• Pooling public and private resources at EU, national and regional levels, which the EU should coordinate, targeting industrial deployment and the commercialisation of new technologies
• Deepening and integrating the single market through regulations and new standards
• Mapping and developing the skills needed across the value chains
• Making innovation systems in Europe more dynamic, with a focus on regional strengths and public-private partnerships
• Setting a governance process to monitor technological and industrial changes, identify emerging strategic value chains and evaluate the progress of work on these value chains

The report is part of the Juncker Commission's efforts to strengthen Europe's industrial base and will contribute to the next Commission's work on a new long-term strategy for Europe's industrial future.
For more on this initiative, please see the factsheet and the full report.