EU needs to redouble research efforts
The European Union needs to redouble its efforts in research and technological development, according to the German Presidency statement "Europe's Path into the 21st Century". Giving priority to the issues of modernisation and employment, it says: "The globalisation of trade and the world-wide exchange of information, as well as innovative policies, create opportunities for growth and employment. The European Union is one of the three largest centres of international trade. The single European market is the biggest in the world and our common currency will be the main anchor of stability alongside the dollar. Europe's responsibility is growing and, with it, our scope for action and our influence. "For the sake of the Union's future and in order that it may continue to be accepted by its citizens, it is crucial that the Member States coordinate their economic, fiscal and social policies in larger measure so as to improve the conditions for more employment throughout Europe. "In order to create jobs for the future, the European Union must also pursue a policy of ecological modernisation. It must redouble its efforts in the fields of research and technological development, and it must build a modern infrastructure by means of trans-European networks. Only then will it be possible to solve the problems of unemployment," says the German Presidency policy statement.
Countries
Germany