ABSTRACT
International attention has focused recently on the current difficulties of the European electronics industry. The production of electronic goods and services provides direct employment for many highly skilled, relatively well paid persons. In view of the electronics sector's contribution to employment and the competitiveness of user industries, policymakers are concerned about the increasing dependence on foreign suppliers for key technologies. During the 1980s an increasing number of non-European-owned electronics companies, particularly Japanese, increased their manufacturing presence in the European Community. For the development of the information technology and electronics industries, the existence of a dynamic and demanding market plays a decisive role. German economic stability and the availability of capital make it possible to carry out the long-range planning and investment required by global electronics markets. The competitiveness in today's evolving electronics sector, where the stakes are larger than ever imagined and the potential losses devastating, requires rare combinations of creativity, flexibility, and quick adaptability.
