Council welcomes Integrated Guidelines for Lisbon Strategy
Ministers in the Competitiveness Council welcomed recommendations from the European Commission on the micro-economic components of the proposed 'Integrated Guidelines' for the Lisbon Strategy when they met in Brussels on 10 May. The Integrated Guidelines aim to guarantee the economic consistency of the three dimensions of the Lisbon Strategy: economic, social and environmental. They are also intended to make it possible for the EU's Member States to prepare national action plans. 'The Council underlines the necessity of having a flexible approach in order that national specificities can be taken into account,' read the Council conclusions. The Council also stressed the need for close coordination at both national and EU level, and coherency with regard to the microeconomic and macroeconomic components and the Integrated Guidelines on employment. The following priorities with regard to the content of the microeconomic guidelines were identified by the Council: facilitating innovation in all its forms; investing in research and development (R&D) with the aim of reaching three per cent of GDP; contributing to a strong industrial base in traditional sectors as well as strategic sectors; perfecting the internal market in order to create employment and meet the challenges of globalisation; and creating the framework conditions for attracting investment. The Presidency will inform the Economic and Financial Affairs (ECOFIN) Council of these deliberations so that they may be taken into account during the finalisation of the Integrated Guidelines by the ECOFIN ministers. The Competitiveness Council also provided a platform for an exchange of views on the Commission's proposals for a Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP). Ministers invited the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) to continue examining the proposals in detail, and to report back to ministers at one of their next meetings. The Commission has proposed a budget of four billion euro for the period 2007 to 2013.