ІННОВАЦІЙНІСТЬ НАЦІОНАЛЬНИХ ЕКОНОМІК: МЕТОДИЧНІ ЗАСАДИ ПОРІВНЯННЯ КРАЇН ЄС ТА УКРАЇНИ

Abstract

Methodical foundations for determining the level of national economies innovativeness were systematized in the article. The relevance of the study is due to the necessity and importance of conducting a comparative assessment to determine the benchmarks for the direction of Ukraine European integration. It has been found that in global and European practice, methods for assessing the innovative development of countries (Global Innovation Index, Global Competitiveness Index, European Innovation Scoreboard) are used, which are based on the use of a certain list of individual and group indicators followed by the calculation of a complex indicator (combined index). In the European Innovation Scoreboard, countries are divided into four groups: innovation leaders, strong innovators, moderate and new innovators. According to the data of 2022, the best indicator of innovativeness has Sweden, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium, which are defined as innovative leaders. Strong innovators are Ireland, Luxembourg, Austria, Germany, Cyprus and France, moderate – Estonia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Malta, Lithuania and Greece. Ukraine, as well as Hungary, Croatia, Slovakia, Poland, Latvia, Bulgaria and Romania, is included in the group of new innovators. The difference in innovation efficiency between EU countries remains, but it is gradually decreasing. The level of innovation indicators of Ukraine is lower compared to EU member states. The use of indicators of innovativeness, which characterize different spheres, provides an opportunity to carry out their comparative assessment, in particular with regard to foreign trade. The development of foreign trade as a sphere of the national economy depends on product and technological innovations. Using data from the European Innovation Scoreboard to compare the innovativeness of countries is more acceptable from the point of view of realizing Ukraine's intention to integrate into the EU in the post-war period. All the more, methodologically, the European Innovation Scoreboard is constantly being improved thanks to the expansion of the list of group and individual indicators, in particular in 2021 regarding digitalization and environmental sustainability. This approach demonstrates new priorities of European policy, which must be taken into account by Ukraine in order to realize its integration aspirations.