Brussels, 30/09/2003 (Agence Europe) - If the conclusions of the latest quarterly report of the Commission, which was published on Tuesday, are to be believed, the euro zone is "on the point of getting back on line with the long-awaited growth", estimated at 0.5% of GDP at the end of the year, even though "short-term employment prospects remain discouraging". During a hearing before the Parliament's Economic Affairs Committee, Commissioner Pedro Solbes predicted a jump in economic activity during the second half of 2003 due to "an improvement in the international environment, accommodating macro-economic policies and satisfactory financial conditions". Even so, the risks weighing down upon growth are still present, even though they are better balances, states the report. Among these risks, Mr Solbes spoke of "the rise of the euro" and the "resilience of American growth". The Commission published encouraging results on the economic confidence index (+0.3 point in September) and the business climate index (+0.06 point).