Bavaria, Germany’s largest federal state by area, has been concentrating its efforts on digitalisation and tech start-ups to stay ahead of the competition. 

Mannheim's mayor is committed to diversifying away from the city's industrial strengths. 

The once-prosperous port city of Hull in eastern England has suffered numerous setbacks over the past few decades, resulting in social and economic problems. However, as Richard Gardham discovers, its status as the UK’s City of Culture for 2017, and a $420m investment from engineering giant Siemens to build a wind turbine production plant, have given the city genuine reasons for optimism

Portugal’s long-term educational policies are paying dividends, with a high proportion of young people speaking more than one language and even sporting a master's degree. This in turn is attracting international companies and creating conditions that could lure many overseas Portuguese back. Courtney Fingar reports.

Built on steel and coal, Donetsk Oblast has a long history of industry, but now the region is looking to diversify its offerings. With investment opportunities in new technologies, tourism, logistics and warehousing, backed up by political will, the region looks set to prosper.

A three-way management structure and an increasingly competitive market have provided a multitude of challenges for rail operator Eurostar. Now the liberalisation of the European passenger rail market is set to create yet more challenges, as well as opportunities, according to the company's chairman, Richard Brown.