Brussels, 13/10/2004 (Agence Europe) - At the conference organised by the Economic and Social Committee of the Committee of the Regions (COR) on 4 October in Lisbon on the Lisbon Strategy (EUROPE 16 September p 18), the Dutch minister of economic affairs Laurens-Jan Brinkhorst highlighted the trends exerting negative pressure on the European welfare systems, notably the ageing population, which was provoking financial consequences and economic slowdown. The president of the Council also underlined the impact on competition that reduced working hours and international competition were having, especially form the USA a, India and China, which benefited from a highly skilled labour force in new technologies. Mr Brinkhorst, nonetheless, remained optimistic, declaring, "We shouldn't see this a threat but as an opportunity. Competition will encourage us to develop our know-how via research and development".
Commissioner Peter Balazs said that competition from low cost countries obliged regions to adopt long term development strategies based on the production of high added value goods and services. Robert Lindsey (Warwick University) asserted that at the current stage Europe was not competitive. It was therefore necessary to keep the European social model but instil greater flexibility in the labour markets: a change in mindset that needed emphasising. Subsequently, he insisted on the importance of education and training in the success of the Lisbon Strategy and criticised any company that was still not prepared.