Brussels, 31/03/2005 (Agence Europe) - The key associations for defending the interests of the industrial, business and commercial sectors jointly welcomed, albeit with some disappointment, the results of the Spring European Council held on 22 and 23 March. Eurochambres, the association of chambers of commerce and industry, said that the results will not foster conditions for necessary economic recovery. Despite the unchecked economic crisis in Europe, the Spring Summit will simply be seen as a missed opportunity for giving fresh impetus to the European economy and as an additional series of inconsistent promises and bad compromises, the deputy general secretary for Eurochambres, Paul Skehan, deplored. Mr Skehan also regretted that the European summit had placed the euro and hence growth and jobs in danger with the agreement reached on the Stability Pact. He also accused European leaders of not protecting the economy or making it more dynamic. It would appear, he said, that matters will have to get far worse for business circles and European citizens before the economic situation is considered as a serious reason for concern, worthy of true debate and real measures. Eurocommerce, the European association of retail and wholesale traders, said the lack of visible commitment on the part of Heads of State and Government was unfortunate and stressed that the time of promises and press releases should give way to concrete action. Finally, UNICE, the Union of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe, expressed disappointment that its major expectations before the summit had not materialised. UNICE would have liked Member States to make better commitments for revitalising the Lisbon process, and adopt a more vibrant language that is not just the expression of vague support for growth and job creation. It nonetheless hailed the commitment shown by Member States to set in place national action plans that will make it possible to identify priority actions for implementing reforms.