The economic productivity of the Member States and regions of the European Union (EU-27)
as well as its spatial disparities are a highly current topic of regional economic
analyses. In terms of economic and social conditions, the EU-27 Member States are
highly polarised, which can be defined as a clear factor of deep-rooted structural
inequalities. These disparities can be interpreted in a number of aspects, of which
the study focuses on the links between innovation capacity and economic performance.
After analysing the relevant databases, it can be concluded that the degree of innovation
capacity plays a key role in long-term productivity growth and in promoting competitiveness.
It can be concluded that one of the most important resources and capital raising forces
of the different space units lies in knowledge-based or innovation-driven economic
processes. In this context, the link between innovation and the economic development
of territorial units has been highlighted by various growth theories for decades,
which shows that the economic development of the coming decades will be based on the
capacity of innovation and the preservation of knowledge-based competitiveness. The
statistical analysis reveals the spatially homogeneous, developed areas that are functioning
as economic-innovation centres of EU-27, although in the regions of the Member States
that joined the European Union in the 21st century, most of them are peripheral, thus
showing the existence of significant territorial disparities on the European scale.
