Resilient supply chains in the EU

Client

European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency, European Commission/DG GROW

Year

2022

Partner

IMP³ROVE, European Clusters Alliance, InPulse Partners SRL, AgriFood Lithuania, Eurada, Intracto, LOW, VDI/VDE


Our mission

In early June 2022, the European Cluster Collaboration Platform (ECCP) published a report on the impact of supply chain disruptions in the EU. It showed how critical these disruptions are for all 14 industrial ecosystems. Following up on this, a second survey was designed to focus on solutions that can mitigate disruptions as well as approaches that can increase supply chain resilience within the EU.

Prognos designed and implemented the survey “Solutions to Supply Chain Disruptions in the EU” as part of the ECCP project. Now, the report on this survey has been published.

Our approach

The data for this report stems from a survey in which a total of 336 people from the EU participated. The survey was translated into all EU languages and distributed through various channels between May and September 2022. Fifty-four percent of respondents work in small and medium-sized enterprises, 21 percent in cluster organisations, and 15 percent in large companies. People from all 14 industrial ecosystems participated in the survey. The majority of participants work in the ecosystems of mobility, transport and automotive, renewable energy and health.

Key findings

Impact of supply chain disruptions:

  • In the EU, the three ecosystems of agri-food, construction, and mobility, transport and automotive had the largest losses, both in inputs and market share
  • Most EU companies have been affected by external shocks in recent years. These were reflected in higher prices for material and services, and led to delivery delays
  • Supply chain problems were most often felt in inbound logistics, procurement and production, according to the majority of respondents

Solutions to build resilient supply chains in the EU:

  • Diversifying the supplier base, building redundancies (such as safety stock), and obtaining supplies from regional companies
  • Increasing measures in the areas of human resources (training and new recruitment), research and development, as well as smart production solutions
  • Financial assistance from the EU to help companies develop new technologies and build new production capacity
  • EU projects that strengthen supply chain governance, promote energy and resource independence, and support innovation ecosystems

Links and downloads

To the study (PDF, clustercollaboration.eu)

More information on the main project

Project team: Dr Jan-Philipp Kramer; Lennart Galdiga; Maximilian Welford; Fabian Schmidt

Last updated: 28 November 2022

Do you have questions?

Your contact at Prognos

Dr Jan-Philipp Kramer

Partner, Head of EU Services

View profile

More studies & projects on this topic

Monitoring and development of the German Circular Economy Strategy

ongoing
| Project

Prognos supports the German Federal Environment Agency in underpinning the National Circular Economy Strategy with concrete measures, priorities and a robust monitoring system.

Evaluation of the Federal Funding for Efficient Buildings (BEG)

ongoing
| Project

On behalf of the BMWE, we evaluate the impact of the BEG in the funding period 2021 – 2025 together with ifeu, ITG, and FIW.

Impact Assessment of the European Innovation Act

ongoing
| Project

Europe has a strong research capabilities, but too little market success. The European Innovation Act aims to change this, remove structural barriers and thereby significantly strengthen innovation in the EU. Prognos and its partners are assisting with its development.

GreenTech Atlas 2025

2025
| Project

On behalf of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Prognos compiled the Green Tech Atlas 2025. The atlas provides a comprehensive overview of the cross-sectional environmental technology and resource efficiency industries.

Efficiency potential of innovations for the healthcare sector

2025
| Project

Medical technology, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and digital health solutions can reduce costs in the healthcare system and thus contribute to the financial stabilisation of statutory health insurance. Our study for the BDI shows just how high the potential is.

Successful implementation of the Talent Booster Mechanism: Completion of Pillar 1

2025
| Project update

The Talent Booster Mechanism supports eleven EU regions that are suffering from a decline in the working-age population and a low proportion of university graduates. The first pillar has been successfully implemented.

Impact of demographic transition on regional labour markets

ongoing
| Project

A shrinking workforce, digitalisation and decarbonisation: Prognos examined the specific effects of global trends on regional labour markets.

OVERLAP: Project results

2025
| Project conclusion

The results of the OVERLAP project show that demographic changes, digital transformation and the need for a green transition are simultaneously affecting regions across the EU.

Competitiveness of European clean energy technologies

2025
| Project

In recent years, Europe has maintained its strong position in the global market for clean energy technologies, but faces growing competition. On behalf of the European Commission, we examined the competitiveness of these technologies.

Full-day care for primary school children: where the federal states currently stand

ongoing
| Project

Germany needs around 166,000 additional full-time places for primary school children by the summer. We are examining how this can be achieved for the Federal Ministry of Education.

About us

We combine economic research and strategy consulting for sustainable decisions in politics, business and society. Our robust data, precise analyses and scientifically based findings enable fact-based progress – financially independent, politically neutral. 

Learn more