EU – Baltic States, Good for Business, Innovations, Rating

Sweden continues to be the EU innovation leader, followed by Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands. This year Luxembourg (previously a strong innovator) joins the innovation leaders, while Portugal (previously a moderate innovator) joins the group of strong innovators.

This year’s scoreboard is marked by the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU. This has had a small impact on the EU’s average innovation performance, but the relative performance of EU countries in relation to EU’s global performance remains unaffected.

At the global level, the EU has surpassed the United States for the second time. The EU continues to have a performance lead over the United States, China, Brazil, Russia, South Africa, and India. Since 2012, the EU’s performance gap with South Korea, Australia and Japan has increased, while the EU’s performance lead over the United States, China, Brazil, Russia and South Africa has decreased. 

The EIS 2020 applies the same methodology as last year’s edition. However, results should not be compared across editions due to data revisions. Time series of the results are presented in the current edition which compare tracked performance since 2012 based on the most recent data.

Estonia is a Strong Innovator

Over time, performance has increased relative to that of the EU in 2012. The strong increase in 2018 is largely explained by improved performance on the indicators using CIS data. Linkages, Human resources, and Intellectual assets are the strongest innovation dimensions. Estonia scores high on Innovative SMEs collaborating with others, Trademark applications, Lifelong learning, and Non-R&D innovation expenditures. Sales impacts, Employment impacts and Innovation-friendly environment are the weakest innovation dimensions. Low-scoring indicators include SMEs with marketing or organizational innovations, R&D expenditures in the business sector, Employment in fast-growing enterprises of innovative sectors, and Medium and high-tech product exports. Structural differences with the EU are shown in the table below.

Estonia shows the highest positive difference to the EU in Total Entrepreneurial Activity, Average annual change in GDP and FDI net inflows, and the biggest negative difference in Top R&D spending enterprises, Turnover share large enterprises and Employment share high and medium high-tech manufacturing.

Lithuania is a Moderate Innovator

Over time, performance has increased relative to that of the EU in 2012. The strong increase in 2018 is largely explained by improved performance on the indicators using CIS data. Innovators, Innovation-friendly environment, and Linkages are the strongest innovation dimensions. Lithuania scores high on Population with tertiary education, Innovative SMEs collaborating with others, Non-R&D innovation expenditures, and Broadband penetration. Attractive research systems, Sales impacts and Intellectual assets are the weakest innovation dimensions. Low-scoring indicators include Exports of knowledgeintensive services, R&D expenditures in the business sector, Public-private co-publications, and Foreign doctorate students.

Structural differences with the EU are shown in the table below. Lithuania shows the highest positive difference to the EU in Average annual change in GDP, Total Entrepreneurial Activity and Enterprise births, and the biggest negative difference in Top R&D spending enterprises, Employment share high and medium high-tech manufacturing and Employment share knowledge-intensive services.

Latvia is a Moderate Innovator.

Over time, performance has increased relative to that of the EU in 2012. The strong increase in 2018 is entirely explained by improved performance on the indicators using CIS data.

Finance and support, Employment impacts and Innovation-friendly environment are the strongest innovation dimensions. Performance is relatively high for Venture capital expenditures, Population with tertiary education, Employment in fast-growing enterprises of innovative sectors, and Trademark applications. Innovators, Attractive research systems and Sales impacts are the weakest innovation dimensions. Latvia’s lowest indicator scores are on R&D expenditures in the business sector, New doctorate graduates, Public-private co-publications, and SMEs innovating in-house. Structural differences with the EU are shown in the table below.

Latvia shows the highest positive difference to the EU in Total Entrepreneurial Activity, Average annual change in GDP and Enterprise births, and the biggest negative difference in Top R&D spending enterprises, Employment share high and medium high-tech manufacturing and Turnover share large enterprises.