Prodi tells Member States to take 'ownership' of Lisbon Strategy
The Commission adopted its annual report to the spring European Council on 21 January, and in assessing the EU's progress towards achieving the Lisbon goals, the document concludes that current efforts are 'insufficient'. The report is entitled 'Delivering Lisbon - reforms for the enlarged Europe', and its tone is set in an opening call on the European Council to 'take advantage of economic recovery and the dynamic of enlargement to give the Lisbon strategy fresh impetus.' 'Member States do not seem to realise that 2010 is around the corner. Four years after Lisbon it is clear that we are going to miss our mid-term targets,' Commission President Romano Prodi warned. 'At European level we have advanced steadily [...] but Member States have not demonstrated enough 'ownership'.' In 2004, the Commission would like to see Member States focussing their efforts in three particular areas: improving investment in networks and knowledge, strengthening industrial competitiveness, and encouraging older workers to remain in the workforce - so called 'active aging'. Outlining the priorities, Mr Prodi said: 'We ask governments to react on all three fronts swiftly. We have to take advantage of the economic recovery in order to make up lost ground. Europe deserves to do better.' The report accepts that progress has been made in some areas. Six million jobs have been created since 1999, there have been significant improvements in the rate of female employment and long term unemployment, and in the liberalisation of strategic markets such as telecommunications and energy. Yet despite these achievements, the rate of growth in Europe remains insufficient, according to the Commission. The reasons outlined in the report include the low employment rate of workers aged between 55 and 64, inadequate take up of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and a lack of investment in key knowledge sectors, namely research, innovation and education. The 'mediocre' performance of Member States in transposing directives related to the Lisbon Strategy is a further factor, it adds. The solutions offered by the Commission are for Member States to commit to implementing the growth initiative and the 'investing in research' action plan, to strengthen synergies between the environment, research and industry, and to promote active ageing by abolishing financial incentives for early retirement. The Spring Report is accompanied by an implementation package comprising further reports on the broad economic policy guidelines, a draft joint employment report, and a document on the internal market strategy. The Commission states that this 'comprehensive package' will form the basis of European Council discussions in Brussels on 25 and 26 March. There was swift reaction to the report from leading figures in Europe. The current President of the European Council, Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, noted the synergy between the report and the Irish Presidency's priorities: 'In today's report, the Commission have reaffirmed our approach by indicating that they see investment, competitiveness and employment as priority areas that need to be progressed this March.' Mr Ahern promised that: 'The Irish Presidency will examine the report in detail in preparing for the March summit, to ensure that real and tangible progress is made at this year's spring European Council.' Also looking ahead to the spring Council, European Parliament President Pat Cox concluded simply: 'We need fewer conclusions and more outcomes.'