Brussels (Belgium) - As part of the EU Commission’s European Year of Creativity and Innovation, BEDA has elected to celebrate 1 October as European Design Day.

The main thinking behind this is to highlight the importance of design as an important innovation tool for European industry.

Over the past few years, BEDA has worked hard to persuade the European Commission (EC) to include design on the innovation agenda.

The result so far has been an extensive and unique Staff Working Document from EU’s Enterprise Directorate, which was published early this summer for open consultation. The document clearly identifies design as an important tool for innovation. The open consultation generated an impressive number of responses from all over Europe, and even outside Europe.

BEDA president Jan R. Stavik reports: "The European Commission sees design as crucial in bridging the gap between creativity and innovation today. We have achieved a genuine breakthrough for design in Europe, which can boost European competitiveness in the future."

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For more information, please contact:

BEDA
Ann De Greef, Administrator
Koloniënstraat 56, 7°
1000 Brussels, Belgium
t: +32 2 212 94 29
f: +32 2 212 94 28
e:
w: www.beda.org


About BEDA
BEDA (Bureau of European Design Associations) is an Affiliate member of Icograda. BEDA exists to ensure permanent liaison between the professional societies of designers, the promotional, educational research, social and design management organisations and networks within the countries of Europe, and to act as a liaison between them and the authorities of the European Union.