Transformation of the structure of industry on the basis of the old industrial regions of the EU

Industry: a branch of economy The process in which industry becomes the leading branch of economy, is called industrialization.

Most important industrial regions of Europe a developed in the 18th-19th cent. at the time of the exploitation of coal deposits Where coking coal and iron ore appeared a rapid industrialization began Largest industrial regions are installed at the old mining areas:e.g.:

• Black Country
• Meuse Valley (Belgium)
• vicinity of Lille
• Lorraine
• Asturias
• vicinity of Bilbao
• Ruhr & Saar region

Ruhr region as an example of all

– characteristic polycentric urban agglomeration

• hard-coal-based
• 4/5 of the coal mined in Germany
• 1 of crude oil and steel production comes from here
• Nearly 1 of Germany’s chemical production- exhausted iron mines (Rhine schist mountains) assisted the expansion- navigable canals of the Rhine of the ind. district
• Rhine and its tributaries are not enough to supply the water demand of the region a industrial water is re-used (water recycling)
• most important ind. branches are in connection with coal mining
• coke (koksz) is a dominant factor in the location of metallurgy
• they import Swedish, African and Brazilian ores
• power plants (erőművek) which are fed by hard coal provide electric power
• heavy industry: – great consumer of rolled steel plates – manufacturing of mining machines
• metallurgical and power plant machinery
• railroad
• military equipment
• chamber gas is used for making chemical products and glass works
• old plants were converted in oil refineries- petrochemical industry settled here a gets raw-material through pipelines a pushes coal chemistry into the background
• textile factories a employing female labour force a processes mainly the synthetic fibres (műszál) produced nearby

Structural crisis of the last 3 decades:

1.) since the 1950’s aamount of coal mined decreased to 1 a the amount of employees decreased to 1/3 2.) increased use of artificial materials and special metal alloys a demand for steel decreased worldwide 3.) up-to-date technical procedures appeared blast furnaces:

• located near iron ore mines
• combines which obtained inexpensive raw-materials from overseas a advantageous situation
• operate right near the Rhine ports (e.g. Duisburg)
• operate in cities lying farther from the waterway (e.g. Dortmund)
• Coal & steel crisis a many jobs disappeared in a short time
• migration
• Ruhr region had to attract new, up-to-date branches of industry by offering various advantages (e.g. Opel Works settled here)
• expansion of chemical industry and electrotechnics
• cities became more attracting

But crisis is still not solved, outmigration and unemployment still exist.

Economic stagnation in other areas as well(e.g. traditional textile industry regions):

• around Lille and Lyon in the vicinity of Liverpool and Manchester
• more and more companies cannot withstand the competition (with the cheaply produced goods in developing countries)
• have to be closed
• unemployment decline of outmigration the European