Dr. Till W. Truckenmüller, chairman of Automotive Cluster Bulgarian, represented Focus Group C for Socio-Economic Assessment of the Danube Region in the period from 24 to 26 November 2014 in Bucharest, Romania. Aims The main aim of the performance of the focus groups was to find out, what, in the view of local experts, are the obstacles to increased competitiveness in order to formulate recommendations that can help to achieve the main goals of the EUSDR in terms of competitiveness and smart specialisation by cooperation in the Danube Region. The participants intended to compare development strategies of countries of various development levels and the way experts saw the room for cooperation in implementing economic strategies. It was discussed the new forms and platforms of firm-level cooperation beyond national borders and other policies enhancing firm-level competitiveness. Overall topic of the focus groups The overall topic of the focus groups was “The Role of the EUSDR and their programs for increasing the competitiveness in the Danube Region”. The discussion in the focus groups was structured according to three main topics: – Prosperity – Entrepreneurship and SMEs – Cooperation and cooperation potential Background The Ministry of Finance and Economics Baden-Württemberg has commissioned a study on the socio-economic assessment of the Danube Region with financial support from the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy of the European Commission. The study is conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), Mannheim, in cooperation with the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IAW), Tübingen, and the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw). The overall aim of the study is to document the socio-economic development of the Danube Region with respect to the goals of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) and the overall objectives of the EU growth strategy “Europe 2020”, to identify strengths and weaknesses in various areas shaping the competitiveness of the Danube Region, and to provide recommendations for the future strategic orientation of the EUSDR. In a first step, extensive data has been collected on the competitiveness, entrepreneurship and SMEs and cooperation in the Danube Region. By assessing these data, a set of preliminary recommendations has been formulated. The aim of the second part is to develop these recommendations further. One central element of this part will be the performance of focus groups with experts from the region. Focus groups are moderator-led discussions about a particular topic. All participants: Evgeni Spasov, Ministry of Economy and Energy, Bulgaria Dr. Till W. Truckenmüller, Automotive Cluster Bulgaria, Bulgaria Costin Lianu, Ministry of Economy, Romania Valentina Vasile, Institute of National Economy, Romanian Academy, Romania Dumitru Stratan, National Institute for Economic Research, Moldova Tatiana Lariushin, Institute for Development and Social Initiatives, Moldova Zinoviy Broyde, Centre EcoResource, Ukraine Igor Studennikov, Centre for Regional Studies, Ukraine
