In its 2022 addition to the three-yearly Regional Competitiveness Index, the European Union names the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands as the EU’s most competitive region. Hoera!
The Netherlands, in vivid Green
In the same edition, ranking in second place is the region of Zuid Holland (South Holland); whereas Noord Brabant takes fourth place on the index, and Amsterdam and its commuting zone rank in fifth place. Way to go, Netherlands! all in competitive green.
About the Index
The European Union’s Commission launched the Regional Competitiveness Index in 2010 in order to assess the ability of various European regions to provide appealing and sustainable environments for people and businesses to live and work in respected regions. The index lists 68 indicators which reflect the core variables that encourage long-term economic development in a region. The Commission, therefore, releases an updated index every three years.
To illustrate the indicator’s use, the index examines three major categories of ‘Basic,’ ‘Efficiency,’ and ‘Innovation’ in each EU region. These categories are divided into 11 measurement subcategories based on various aspects of competitiveness: ‘Institutions’, ‘Macroeconomic stability’, ‘Infrastructures’, ‘Health’, ‘Basic education’, ‘Higher education, training, and lifelong learning’, ‘Labour-market efficiency’, ‘Market size’, ‘Technological readiness’, ‘Business sophistication’ and ‘innovation’. By measuring such a diverse collection of indicators, the index aims to reflect on each region’s capacity to provide an appealing environment for businesses and residents to live and work.
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