Brussels, 25/01/2006 (Agence Europe) - Briefing reporters on 25 January on the European Commission's progress report on the partnership between the EU and Member States for growth and employment, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso stressed progress in the previous year in relaunching the Lisbon Strategy. He said that a year ago, the strategy did not work, but today the EU had given itself new instruments (like National Reform Programmes, NRPs). 'We have planted and now we harvest,' said Jose Manuel Barroso. At the press conference, he was accompanied by European Commission Vice-President, EU Industry and Enterprise Commissioner Gunter Verheugen. Barroso had just presented the report to the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament's political parties. He said the MEPs had asked what was different from a year ago and he had replied that a year ago, it would have been impossible to talk about a common approach to energy policy because Eurosceptics would have immediately accused the EU of centralist tendencies. At the press conference, Verheugen used an image he had used when addressing MEPs, saying 'the convoy has left the harbour and is moving in the same direction, even the right direction, some ships are slower than others,' but the process would encourage the slower ships to catch up with the faster one. Compared with a year ago, we now have 'governance' for the Lisbon Strategy, with Member States made responsible, said Verheugen, adding that he had received programmes from the Member States in September and October 2005 and the next stage would be the Spring European Council where, if Member States have not fulfilled their duties, we will come out and say it. He said the crucial year was 2007 when they would have to (and he hoped would be able to) demonstrate that the new Lisbon Strategy effectively helps boost growth and employment. While recommending caution, Verheugen said a study carried out by a Dutch institute had demonstrated that if the revised Lisbon Strategy targets were adhered to, it could create 10% more growth and jobs.
Both Barroso and Verheugen refused to answer reporters calls to name names among the Member States on the quality of their National Reform Programmes. 'I am no disappointed, I am more than happy,' said Verheugen, adding that it was already a huge success to have 25 reports respecting the integrated guidelines. Barroso said the European Commission wanted to avoid classifications and didn't want a Champions League, but could use the Programmes to point out examples of success or shortcomings. He said that broadly speaking, Scandinavia was applying the Lisbon Strategy well, and the new Member States were 'doing extraordinary things' in a very short time. He asked who would have thought a decade ago that Poland's productivity would beat South Korea's or that Ireland would have become one of the richest EU Member States? Barroso wanted to be encouraging, saying: 'To those who say that it cannot be done, I say a decade or so ago, who would have thought that Ireland would have become one of the most prosperous countries of the European Union, or that productivity in Poland would be higher than in South Korea'? We can and must go the extra mile for growth and jobs.' He said the main conclusions were that the EU does not need to look far to find good examples but progress was still uneven and 'it is time to move up a gear'. He added that 'no one has the monopoly of wisdom' and ideological debates about the 'wonder model distract us'. President Barroso said good intentions had to be turned into best practice, and that some people think it is not possible to win elections with a reform agenda, but he believed the opposite, because at the end of the day reforms have to match citizen expectations.
In a press release, the Commission comments on its Spring Report assessing each of the NRPs drawn up by the 25 Member States for the first time, that: 'Exploiting every Member State's knowledge, experience and good ideas so that each can learn from the others is at the core of the partnership approach and a key way to make a real different on the ground. The Commission will identify areas where the scope for mutual learning is greatest and help Member States take up promising policy ideas one another's NRPs.' The Spring Report will 'highlight areas where there are shortcomings and propose concrete action and EU and national level to deal with them,' (Europe will return to this). Barroso gave further information about the four priority action areas identified (investment in education, research and innovation; freeing up SMEs; employment policies to get people into work; and guaranteeing a secure and sustainable energy supply) on which at the European Council on 23-24 March, European politicians will be expected to announce extra measures at national and EU level.
Investing in education and research. Investment in higher education should by 2010 be stepped up to 2% of GDP (with private funding too); at the Spring Summit, every Member State should set “a clear target” for overall R&D expenditure; 25% of state aids should be spent on R&D; there should be a European Institute for Technology by the end of 2007; the teaching of mathematics and foreign languages should be given greater priority in schools.
Freeing up SMEs and unlocking business potential. By 2007, every Member State should set up a “one-stop shop” to assist future entrepreneurs and so that businesses can fulfil all administrative requirements in one place; the average time for setting up a business should be cut in half by the end of 2007, and then to one week or less; entrepreneurship education should be provided as part of the school curriculum for all pupils; every Member State should set up a system to properly measure administrative burdens, and the Commission will launch a major exercise of its own to identify and propose how to reduce costs arising from EU rules; the Commission will remove the obligation to notify certain categories of small state aids, which should help some SMEs.
Getting people into work. Member States should adopt a lifecycle approach to employment with people of all ages offered the support they need; by the end of 2007, every young person who has left school or university should be offered a job, apprenticeship or additional training within six months of becoming unemployed, and within 100 days by 2010; there should be stronger efforts to meet national targets for the provision of affordable high-quality childcare and measures to achieve greater gender equality at work and to promote a work-life balance; “active ageing” should be implemented, with more training for those over 45; the Commission will organise an extraordinary social summit and present a report by the end of 2007 on the balance between flexibility and employment security (“flexicurity”).
Efficient, secure and sustainable energy means: better coordination between Europe's electricity grids and gas pipelines systems, better regulation of energy markets and more competition; more tax and other incentives to promote sustainable energy use and boost research into energy efficiency, clean energy and renewables; Europe “speaking with one voice” in negotiations with external suppliers. The Commission will publish a Green Paper with detailed proposals in early Spring 2006.