Brussels, 14/01/2005 (Agence Europe) - The mid-term review of the Lisbon Strategy is one of the priorities for the Luxembourg Presidency of the EU, which is planning to make an assessment of the strategy to date, refocus priorities, improve governance and actually implement the strategy. It will also be setting up awareness-raising strategies targetted on specific groups.
Following on from the thrust of the Kok Report (see Europe of 28 October 2004, p.10) the Luxembourg Presidency believes that reform of the European social and economic model is essential if the Lisbon Objectives are to be achieved, namely citizen well-being. The Luxembourg Presidency writes that this target can only be reached by establishing synergy between the three pillars of the Lisbon Strategy, namely the economy, social affairs and the environment. The Luxembourg Presidency is planning to confirm that 2010 will be the target date for all Member States to implement reforms in all areas of the Lisbon Strategy at a cruising speed that demonstrates a change of direction.
More specifically, the Luxembourg Presidency will focus on creating a European knowledge area, through the various dimensions of which (the information society, innovation, education, training and life long-learning) European companies will gain new areas of competitiveness and European citizens will be able to take full advantage, throughout their lives, of the opportunities made available in the modern world, explains the Luxembourg Presidency. Using the Kok Report as a basis, the Luxembourg Presidency wants to rationalise existing processes and create national action plans to provide value added through greater coherence because every government will be forced to strengthen interministerial cooperation between the different areas covered by the Lisbon Strategy, and making governments more responsible by getting them to commit to their fellow EU partners (and also to their national parliaments, employers and trade unions, civil society and public opinion) with regard to the Strategy. The Luxembourg Presidency will suggest researching ways and means of streamlining the Open Coordination Method and improving follow-up. Before the Spring Summit, the Luxembourg Presidency wants to look at how young people can be best brought on board with regard to the Lisbon Strategy priorities.