Instant Report N. 8/2021 - The New European Industrial Strategy. The Ecosystems of Apulia

The theme of the report is the European industrial strategy, revised in the wake of the pandemic and currently aimed at the ecological and digital transition as well as the strengthening of economic resilience while respecting social rights. At the heart of the strategy is the role of industrial ecosystems, consisting, according to the European Commission, of all actors operating in a value chain: on this basis, the Commission identified 14 ecosystems in its first Annual Single Market Report. The report summarises the main theoretical findings on industrial ecosystems; it then examines the areas in which the Commission has identified EU industrial ecosystems and compares them with the priority sectors of Apulia's regional specialisation strategy. A specific in-depth analysis analyses the characteristics and evolution of Apulia's industrial ecosystems in the period between 2015 and 2018, also providing indications on their relative positioning with respect to similar ecosystems at a national level. Finally, the Report proposes some policy indications in its conclusions, which also concern the overall district policy of the Apulia Region.