The Impact of Industrial Robot Use on Exports in European Countries – an Empirical Analysis

In this paper, the relationship between the volume of export and the number of industrial robots in the selected European countries is examined by using the simultaneous equation models. Panel data of Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom are used. The study covers the period of 2006-2018, for which the required data are available. The article is a unique empirical study related to the subject because the literature on this topic is quite scarce. According to the results of the analysis results, there is a positive relationship among the number of industrial robots used and the volume of exports. One can therefore assume that the use of industrial robots contributes to the growth of exports, mainly by the decrease of production costs which improves international competitiveness of industrial products. Therefore, European policymakers should support using robots in manufacturing and other sectors of the economy. In this way, Europe can strengthen its position in the world trade against strong competition from China, the United States, and Japan.