This follow-up to the 2001 OECD Territorial Review of Bergamo monitors progress over
the past 15 years and reassesses the main development challenges the region faces.
Globalisation has intensified international competition in Bergamo’s traditional manufacturing
sector, and the global financial crisis has exacerbated some of the structural weaknesses
of Bergamo’s traditional industrial sectors. The region needs to upgrade production
processes to generate more added value in economic activities to remain competitive.
The review offers recommendations to help Bergamo transition to higher value-added
and more technologically intensive activities. In particular, it calls for: a development
plan supported by all local actors; a strategy for improving the skills of the adult
population through education and training programmes; stimulating innovation systems;
attracting foreign direct investment; and, finally, strategies for boosting the competitiveness
of small and medium-sized enterprises.