By 2016, analysts forecast €6.8 billion per year in smart grid investment in Europe. The market segments receiving the bulk of this investment will be Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), Distribution Automation (DA), EVs and Utility Enterprise (IT systems). Currently, AMI is the most developed segment. Researchers analyze how utilities within each country are negotiating further deployment and triangulating between policy, in-house business cases and the consumer's role to enable industry growth.

The revised European Union (EU) Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive was published today in the EU Official Journal. The Directive is expected to go into effect on July 21, 2011, twenty days after publication. Member States will have 18 months to transpose the Directive into national law. Member States' regulations are expected to take force no later than January 2, 2013.

The UK defence industry is set for a difficult 2011, as the government's austerity programme begins to impact on existing and potential contracts. The UK government has already taken certain significant moves – such as grounding the Harrier, cancelling various naval projects and cutting the overall size of the army. It is likely that further moves will follow. Furthermore, the government has made reforming the procurement system at the Ministry of Defence a main priority. While this is likely to ensure better value for money for the government, it risks limiting the profits of firms and disincentivising research and development if costs have to be increasingly borne by the companies themselves. To overcome these domestic burdens, it is likely that UK defence firms will focus on exports in the coming years.

Since their first appearance in 2007, ereaders have experienced much higher growth in North America than in EMEA, mainly as a result of the rapid uptake of Amazon Kindle devices by consumers in the U.S. However, as many European markets experience double-digit growth rates, the EMEA region is now set to expand, roughly matching the size of the North American market by 2015. Many factors are contributing to this growing trend. Firstly, e-ink technology and long-lasting battery charge have proven to offer an appealing reading experience for avid readers in EMEA, which justifies the purchase of a specialized reading device instead of an LCD multifunctional device such as a media tablet.

Following the sharp downturn in the European and global electronics industry at the end of 2008 and in the first half of 2009 the market has recovered. Led initially by the emerging markets, the recovery has gained momentum with the industry showing strong growth in all regions. However, in the final months of 2010 there were signs that growth was slowing and the outlook for 2011/2012 will now depend on a sustained growth in both the European and global economy. In Western Europe, the electronics industry has virtually completed the transformation from high-volume to shorter run production. In the future emphasis will be on areas where Europe has strong global position such as industrial, medical, high-end communications and automotive.

With a value of 217 billion euro in 2009, Europe still accounts for 19% of the 1,115 billion euro global production of electronic equipment. This global production value is equally divided between mass market product categories (PCs, mobile phones, game consoles, etc.) and professional electronic equipment, often integrated into larger electronic systems for industrial applications, aerospace, defense & security equipment, or automobiles. Europe’s role in mass market electronic production has diminished substantially since the crisis of 2001 to represent only 11% of the world output in 2009 but, with a share of 28%, it has a far more important position in professional electronic equipment production. With 4,8% annual growth estimated in 2010, the electronics industry will recover faster than expected and, therefore, reach the average trend as soon as 2011. A 5,5% average annual growth over the forecast period is anticipated, with the electronics industry eventually reaching 1,5 trillion euros in 2014.

Numerous global events have pointed to manufacturing close to European customers as being a healthy alternative to earlier strategies to manufacture only in places like China. For example, fluctuation of the Euro makes manufacturing in the region more economically advantageous. There is also a growing dissatisfaction with manufacturing Europe-bound products in China.

Major ODM and EMS companies recognize the strategic imperative of selling, designing, and manufacturing in Central and Eastern Europe to serve customers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Furthermore, to meet customer demands, these companies are maintaining a regional manufacturing presence, which is increasingly viewed on a broader European scale as manufacturers take advantage of lower costs in Central and Eastern Europe. Factors such as rising wages in China tip the balance for some products to in-region manufacturing when considering costs and time for logistics, managerial travel, and communications, and other factors including environmental and social responsibility and risk management.