The AlpMed Euroregion comprises four
Italian regions (Piemonte, Liguria, Valle
d'Aosta and Sardinia) and three French
regions (Rhône-Alpes, Provence-Alpes-
Côte d'Azur and Corsica). lt forms
a territory of 142,000 km2 with 19 million
inhabitants and approximately 2 million
businesses, each of which can operate on
the international market as an economic
motor in its own right GDP of Euro 550
billion and an annual export capacity
of Euro 106 billion position it at a higher
level than many European states.
In 2011, aware of the importance that this macro area has acquired, the AlpMed Chambers of Commerce entered the most operational stage of a long-term collaboration; they set up a permanent Secretariat under Belgian law AlpMed Asbl (Association Sans But Lucratif), which marks a milestone in the history of cross-border collaboration.
AlpMed has therefore acquired an economic and relational perspective that makes it a dynamic unit in the panorama ofthe European macro-regions. The geographical and linguistic vicinity of Italy and France, a homogeneous approach to socio-economic problems, and the will to pursue common goals have made it a frontier laboratory, which is successfully experimenting with joint action and cross-frontier solutions to shake off the crisis of recent years.
This scenario is a good starting point to understand the importance of the Colloque Franco-Italien a report on the economic relations between the French and Italian regions of AlpMed promoted for the second year running by the French Consulate General of Turín and Genoa, prepared by Unioncamere Piemonte and the Torino Chamber of Commerce. Although not claiming to be exhaustive the Colloque provides a truthful photograph of the socio-economic situation in the Euroregion in terms of import-export, investment in research and innovation training and labour policies, tourism and trade.
In 2011, aware of the importance that this macro area has acquired, the AlpMed Chambers of Commerce entered the most operational stage of a long-term collaboration; they set up a permanent Secretariat under Belgian law AlpMed Asbl (Association Sans But Lucratif), which marks a milestone in the history of cross-border collaboration.
AlpMed has therefore acquired an economic and relational perspective that makes it a dynamic unit in the panorama ofthe European macro-regions. The geographical and linguistic vicinity of Italy and France, a homogeneous approach to socio-economic problems, and the will to pursue common goals have made it a frontier laboratory, which is successfully experimenting with joint action and cross-frontier solutions to shake off the crisis of recent years.
This scenario is a good starting point to understand the importance of the Colloque Franco-Italien a report on the economic relations between the French and Italian regions of AlpMed promoted for the second year running by the French Consulate General of Turín and Genoa, prepared by Unioncamere Piemonte and the Torino Chamber of Commerce. Although not claiming to be exhaustive the Colloque provides a truthful photograph of the socio-economic situation in the Euroregion in terms of import-export, investment in research and innovation training and labour policies, tourism and trade.
If we focus our attention on foreign trade
we can see that in 2011 the four Italian
AlpMed regions exported goods to France
for a total of Euro 6.8 billion an increase
of approximately 12% on 2010. In the same
period, exports of goods from the three
French regions into Italy reached Euro 8.4
billion, a 23% increase on the previous year.
The products most requested by the French market from the four Italian AlpMed regions were automotive and engineering products, while Italy imported chemicals, metals and metal products in particular from the two French AlpMed regions.
Investment in research and innovation is essential to sustain the growth of the local entrepreneurial system ofthe AlpMed macro area, and the latest available data, for the year 2009, indicate expenditure of Euro 10.4 billion in R&D in the territory analysed, 4.4% of the overall sum earmarked for R&D by the 27 countries in the European Union. This investment accounts for of GDP generated in the AlpMed territories, in line with the EU-27, where spending on R&D represents 1.9% of total GDP.
A territory's innovative capacity is also measured by its links and collaboration with other players in innovative sectors. There are 21 "poli tecnologici" in the Italian AlpMed regions, and 21 "pôles de compétitivité" on the French side of the border. Since 2008 these technology centres have developed numerous collaboration agreements; there are currently ten on-going projects, which involve a total of thirteen organisations.
Most collaboration agreements develop under the umbrella of the European Interreg Alcotra programme, which was launched between 2011 and 2012 and should conclude in the period 2013-2014.
Approximately one third of these collaboration agreements focuses on issues that come under research and development in the broadest sense of the term while another 30% of the projects regard research into new materials and life sciences.
Inter-disciplinary exchange and collaboration between universities are very important not only for the enhancement of university careers and for work opportunities for students, but also for the prestige of the universities themselves, 24 agreements are on-going in the AlpMed macroarea, between university academic institutes focusing on the creation of transnational degrees.
The products most requested by the French market from the four Italian AlpMed regions were automotive and engineering products, while Italy imported chemicals, metals and metal products in particular from the two French AlpMed regions.
Investment in research and innovation is essential to sustain the growth of the local entrepreneurial system ofthe AlpMed macro area, and the latest available data, for the year 2009, indicate expenditure of Euro 10.4 billion in R&D in the territory analysed, 4.4% of the overall sum earmarked for R&D by the 27 countries in the European Union. This investment accounts for of GDP generated in the AlpMed territories, in line with the EU-27, where spending on R&D represents 1.9% of total GDP.
A territory's innovative capacity is also measured by its links and collaboration with other players in innovative sectors. There are 21 "poli tecnologici" in the Italian AlpMed regions, and 21 "pôles de compétitivité" on the French side of the border. Since 2008 these technology centres have developed numerous collaboration agreements; there are currently ten on-going projects, which involve a total of thirteen organisations.
Most collaboration agreements develop under the umbrella of the European Interreg Alcotra programme, which was launched between 2011 and 2012 and should conclude in the period 2013-2014.
Approximately one third of these collaboration agreements focuses on issues that come under research and development in the broadest sense of the term while another 30% of the projects regard research into new materials and life sciences.
Inter-disciplinary exchange and collaboration between universities are very important not only for the enhancement of university careers and for work opportunities for students, but also for the prestige of the universities themselves, 24 agreements are on-going in the AlpMed macroarea, between university academic institutes focusing on the creation of transnational degrees.
The AlpMed regions also have
a considerable vocation for tourism,
underlined by the presence in the area
of a wide variety of landscapes
and attractions. In 2010 the number
of French tourists who stayed in the hotels
of one of the four Italian AlpMed regions
totalled 457.035, giving a total presence
of 1,114,746, for an average visit lasting
2.4 days. The French component represents
a significant share of tourist flows
in the Italian AlpMed regions accounting
for 16.2% of arrivals and 12.1% of foreign
tourists prcscnt. In numerical terms,
the Italian tourists who stayed in a hotel
in one of the three French AlpMed regions
in 2010 were even more significant:
733,181 arrivals for a total presence
of 1,547,062, and an average stay
of 2.1 days. Italians continue to account
for an important share of foreign tourism
in the area, with 13.7% of arrivals
and 12.5% of total presence.
We should underline that the analysis of the AlpMed Euroregion contained in the 2012 edition of the Colloque Franco-Italien is particularly significant because it comes at a time when the EU 2007/2013 programme is coming to an end, and attention is being focused on the new action lines of the 2014/2020 programme, in which the macroregions will play a leading role for the European Commission because they are called on to contribute and guarantee economic competitiveness and social cohesion.
We should underline that the analysis of the AlpMed Euroregion contained in the 2012 edition of the Colloque Franco-Italien is particularly significant because it comes at a time when the EU 2007/2013 programme is coming to an end, and attention is being focused on the new action lines of the 2014/2020 programme, in which the macroregions will play a leading role for the European Commission because they are called on to contribute and guarantee economic competitiveness and social cohesion.