The European Technology Policy : Propositions for a Multilevel Governance

The aim of this paper is to highlight the relevance of a geographical multilevel technology policy within the European Union. At the present time the European policy of innovation is a "community" policy, in other words it involves a sharing of skills. In this paper we argue that outside the problems that this situation inherently poses, this territorial organisation may be considered as an asset. We use the central concept of technology externalities, taken in its traditional shape and in its renewals, to provide theoretical justifications for a “territorialised technology policy”, that is to say a policy of innovation designed and implemented on several territorial levels. Three levels are here taken into account : regional, national, European.