The European enterprise policy fails to properly consider the role of space and territory. The risk is that the policy would miss some economic and institutional elements which are basic to the functioning of enterprises and to the processes of innovation. The European policy has a multilevel nature. This characteristic leads, on one hand, to an excess of attention in harmonizing, simplifying and optimizing the regulations in favor of the enterprises but, on the other hand, to underestimate the role that the national and local differences have, as they are an asset for Europe and they largely contribute to its innovation capability. This paper wants to analyze this problem of governance. In particular it focuses on the possible conflict between the European policy and the diversity of local procedures, cultures and traditions which feed Europe’s capacity of innovation. In this scenario, the paper wants to assess the use of the open method of coordination.
Keywords: Europe, enterprise policy, coordination.
Jel Code: L53