(presented in accordance with Article 99 (3) of the EC Treaty)
General Assessment [Commission Communication]
2. STRENGTHENING THE EU'S ECONOMY
2.1 Growth- and stability-oriented macroeconomic policies
2.1.1 Economic background: lowest economic growth since 1993
Economic growth has turned out to be markedly weaker than anticipated. Following a poor performance at the end of 2002, the EU economy stagnated in the first half of 2003. Even if activity clearly improved in the third quarter,...