The progress of Europe. An integrative model.

Popa, Horia Liviu ; Cristea, Sanda Ligia

1. INTRODUCTION

With the failure of the (2000) Lisbon Agenda whereby the EU aspired to "become by 2010 the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion", many European leaders have also become resigned to the fact that the EU may be losing out as a global economic power. The rapid rise of the emerging economies of Asia is challenging and probably, if many forecasts are to be believed, eventually will eclipse European economic power. The global economic crisis has only served to highlight this shift in the balance of power and competitiveness from West to East (Gonzalez Marquez et al., 2010; ***, 2010b). While Europe continues to struggle to wrench its economy out of recession, while also facing the Greek and possibly other sovereign debt risks, the major Asian economies are growing briskly, demonstrating an adaptability to change and challenges that the EU, sorely, lacks.

The European Commission is now proposing a new postcrisis strategy Europe 2020 (***, 2010a), which under the slogan "Intelligent, sustainable and favourable to inclusion increase" should attract all the member states in putting into practice, in the following decennium, the priorities and objectives as stated in the strategy. But, again, the notions and strategic visions are defined in a traditional, limited and nonintegrative way, with no accent on the integrated identity (continental / national / regional / local), on the culture of sustainable competitiveness and on the integrative generalised innovation based on inoclusters as main generators of progress and welfare.

The present paper has in view to:

* define from a systemic perspective a new principle integrative model of the sustainable progress,

* establish the priorities for European progress in 21st century.

Future research will go deeper in the identification and optimization of new principle integrative model of the sustainable progress in other domains: country, sector, region, county, zone, locality, cluster, organization.

2. AN INTEGRATIVE MODEL OF THE EUROPEAN PROGRESS WAYS

The history of Nature, the history of Mankind and the daily reality point out (Fig. 1), in any Dstr(t) space-time-resources domain, the main cyclic progress determinants (1) based on innovative clustering (agglomeration / integration), in the conscious-human sense of the notion (Popa, 2007; Popa, Pater, & Cristea, 2008):

(1) the periodical stability of cyclical functioning of real systems {SR} in the space-time-resources domains [D.sub.str](t) which integrates:

* .... [right arrow] proximity external environments [M.sub.ext], fluctuant and sustainable in favour of progress / expansion of entities in the space-time-resources domain under consideration (natural environment, Mankind-made artificial environments determine changes),

* [right arrow] innovative agglomerated / integrated resources, as premise for changes (programs / culture of cooperation, integrative innovation and competitiveness are the most important information resources of natural / social-economic progress which determines change premises),

* [right arrow] agglomerated processes / innovative integrated technologies (determines change achievement),

* [right arrow] agglomerated self regulations / innovative integrated policies and management (determines self-regulating / change governing),

* [right arrow] entities (components, persons, products, organizations, organization networks, clusters etc.) competitive, flexibly innovatively integrated in the space-time-resources domain under consideration (determines continuity of progress cycles and changes),

* [right arrow] products consumption (determines re-initiation of progress cycles and changes).

In the social-economic environment, the following can be added to these general cyclic determinants (1) of the progress which provide regular stability:

(2) integrated identity and competing capacity: planetary / continental / national / regional / local identity, spirit and entrepreneurial / intraprenorial density, sustainable competing capacity,

(3) sustainable competitive inoclusters: clustering level, culture of coopetition and competitiveness in sustainable innovative clusters, integrative innovation (in resources, technologies, management and policies, culture of sustainable competitiveness and coopetition),

(4) integrated sustainable competitiveness: integrated policies, management and technologies of sustainable competitiveness which must provide flexible balance to production, distribution and consumption capacities,

(5) coopetition and sustainable progress with minimum crisis periods (the crisis are compulsory) at all levels.

Not being aware, taking into consideration or ignoring one of these (1) .... (4) determinants inevitably produce regress and crisis. The stress test on competitiveness under crisis conditions(***, 2010b) and the classification of countries according to this criterion reflects this state of things with high precision, in the conditions of the present world economic crisis, first of all for Europe.

[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]

The history and present evolution of Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific Zone and of Africa validates the principle model of progress (Fig. 1). After 1980 Europe neglected the elaboration of optimal solution for the ways of her sustainable progress.

3. CONCLUSION

Despite its efforts, the European Union has not succeeded in ensuring a sustainable progress during the last 10 years. The financial crisis and, later, the deep recession that struck the European Union in 2008 have produced a 20-year regress in the economic development of its member states, affecting, with no exceptions, all the sectors of activity, producing a huge number of unemployed people, deepening the major danger of the uncontrollable public debt, generator of new crises.

This leads to the development of new models, to the strengthening and deep integration of the sustainable progress determinants in Europe:

(1) stabilization policies for the functioning of federal / continental, national, regional and local economies,

(2) integrated identity, entrepreneurial spirit and density, sustainable competing capacity of domestic organizations in all EU countries and regions,

(3) integrative innovation (in resources, technologies, management and policies, culture of sustainable competitiveness and coopetition), culture of coopetition and competitiveness in sustainable competitive inoclusters, in all EU countries and regions,

(4) integrated policies, management and technologies of sustainable competitiveness (on unlimited term), which must provide flexible balance to production, distribution and consumption capacities of the European Union / Europe.

The coming decades will not only be a time of great crisis, but also a time of great opportunities. These threats of crisis and decline have the potential to unite Humanity around a common task: developing a sustainable competitiveness culture and economy, an integrated sustainable progress. The challenge for European Union, for Europe is to turn the present crisis into an opportunity to put our economy and culture on a sustainable competitiveness way, that will enable Europeans to prosper in a 21st century world--a world where Europe will be only one of many players, not the dominant player as she were in the 19th century.

Future research will go deeper in the identification and optimization of new principle integrative model of the sustainable progress in other domains: continent, country, sector, region, county, zone, locality, cluster, organization.

4. REFERENCES

Gonzalez Marquez, F. et.al. (2010). Project Europe 2030. Challenges and Opportunities. A report to the European Council, Brussels, Available from: http://www.reflectiongroup.eu/wp-content/uploads/ 2010/05/reflection_en_web.pdf--Project Europe 2030, Accessed on: 2010-06-21

Popa, H.L. (2007). The integrative competitiveness. A systemic approach, Scientific Bulletin of the "POLITEHNICA" University of Timisoara, Romania, Transactions on Management. Engineering Economy. Transportation Engineering, Tom 52 (66), Fasc.1, p. 5-18, ISSN 1224-6050

Popa, H.L.; Pater L.R. & Cristea S.L (2008). The Competitiveness Management of Services (in Romanian), Editura Politehnica, ISBN: 978-973-625-648-6, Timisoara

*** (2010a) Europe 2020. A European strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, European Council, Brussels, 26.03.2010, Available from: http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010- 2014/president/news/documents/pdf/20100303_1_en.pdf, Accessed: 201003-29

*** (2010b) http://www.imd.ch/research/publications/wcy/wcy_online.cfm--IMD World Competitiveness Year Book 2010, Accessed on: 2010-05-19