Estonia moves to meet Lisbon goals
Estonia is implementing its own strategy, which it sees as responding to the EU's strategic goal of becoming the most innovative and competitive area in the world, as agreed at the Lisbon Council in 2000. The Estonian parliament adopted a research and development strategy for 2002 to 2006 on 6 December entitled 'knowledge-based Estonia'. Under this strategy, Estonia aims to increase its research expenditure as a percentage of GDP from 0.7 per cent (1999) to 1.5 per cent by 2006. The scheme also aims to ensure the reproduction of knowledge and skills, renewal of traditional industries and their integration with the rapidly developing, knowledge intensive areas of the economy. It is hoped that 'knowledge-based Estonia' will help Estonia's socio-economic cohesion with the European Union.