Brussels, 03/05/2005 (Agence Europe) - In the context of the reviewed Lisbon Strategy, the European Commission adopted a working document showing Member States how to develop their national reform programmes in terms of structure and content. The new national reform programmes - which are to be submitted to the Commission by 15 October at the latest - will allow the Commission to assess the policies of Member States and the progress that has already been made. The Commission will begin a clarification process and dialogue with Member States during bilateral meetings starting in June and July. As soon as it has assessed national reform programmes, the Commission will adopt its annual report in January 2006. It may then propose an update of integrated guide lines and specific recommendations for each Member State.
New programmes for national reform have to be retrospective political documents (of 30-40 pages approximately, accompanied by annexes) outlining a triennial global strategy (according to the new cycle of governance consisting of a triennial cycle that began in 2005 and which will need renewing in 2008) the implementation of integrated guidelines for growth and employment adopted by the Council on the basis of the Commission' proposal on 12 April (EUROPE 8926). Member States are being encouraged to identify the areas of priority action and when they do not come with action in relation to a guideline, they have to justify why they consider no action is needed. Member States will also have to explain the role of their programmes for reform in the national context as well as the contributions and responsibilities of the main actors involved in the process, notably the public authorities and social partners at all levels.
National reform programmes will have to provide political responses to priorities defined on the basis of integrated guidelines: 1) macro-economic priorities describing the political responses to the macro-economic challenges revealed by Member States; 2) micro-economic priorities outlining the political responses to these challenges revealed by Member States by replacing the previous “Cardiff reports”'; employment priorities describing the political responses to the challenges in this area revealed by Member States replacing existing national action plans. Info: (http: //europa.eu.int/growthandjobs/index_en.htm)