Brussels, 16/01/2004 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission will adopt its traditional spring report next Wednesday. The document will serve as a base for the work of the European Council on 25-26 March and on the follow-up to the Lisbon process. In parallel to the publication of the spring report will be the Commission's presentation of three other documents that were used as a basis for its elaboration of the report: the report on implementation of the road Economic Guidelines (BEPG) decided on by the Council last June; the joint report by the Commission/Council on employment, which constitutes the social aspect of the report on the implementation of the BEPG; the report on the completion of the internal market.
In 2004, the spring report will focus on three main priorities, announced the deputy spokesperson for the Commission, Gerassimos Thomas on Friday: 1) the increase in investments in the knowledge networks (research, education and training); 2) strengthening of competition in the European economy, which supposes greater follow-up to the implementation of the Lisbon process and the adoption of the framework directive on services (EUROPE 14 January p 8) and the action plan on environmental technologies that the Commission is presenting on 28 January (this date was confirmed by the press on Friday by Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström); 3) promotion of "active ageing" (incentive measures for encouraging workers to leave the labour market later, as well as measures for adapting health care measures to attain this objective).