Progress towards Lisbon goals too slow, says Prodi
Progress towards the Lisbon objectives has been too slow and uncoordinated to produce the results pledged by the EU's Heads of State and Government in March 2000, according to Commission President, Romano Prodi. Following a meeting between himself and Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, Mr Prodi welcomed the Greek Presidency's prioritisation of working towards the Lisbon objective, which seeks to make the EU the world's most competitive economy by 2010. 'We should be pleased with most of the achievements but several problems still remain and we have to honestly admit that progress has not been fast or coordinated enough to produce the results that the Heads of State and Government promised in Lisbon in Spring 2000,' said Mr Prodi. 'Therefore, together with the Hellenic Presidency we must encourage the Member States to speed up the reform process of the European economy,' added the Commission president. Mr Simitis claimed that the decisions taken in Lisbon are now of particular relevance, and will help Europe to attain a competitive position in a time of global recession. Particular attention will be awarded to the support of small and medium-sized enterprises, he announced.
Countries
Greece