The success of European Commission President José Manuel Barroso's vision of smarter, greener and more sustainable growth will depend on "mobilising commitment and investment in all member states, and realising synergies between their economic recovery plans," Johnston writes.
"No member state can succeed alone," he explains. "Only the EU acting together can assure synergies and global competitiveness by leading the global transformations now required."
Moreover, "recovery [from the current economic slowdown] cannot simply involve re-stimulation of unsustainable consumption," but also needs "urgent action on climate change," he says.
"The ICT revolution is making the tools and services we depend upon smarter," the paper explains, and "the sector is already about three times more energy-efficient than the economy as a whole".
"Nevertheless, more can be done to contain ICT energy use," Johnston insists.
"The Swedish EU Presidency offers a unique opportunity," he writes, because "not only is Sweden a leader in the transition to a knowledge-based society, but its presidency coincides with the transition to a new European Parliament, a new Commission and the conclusion of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations on a global response to climate change".
"The numerous but dispersed initiatives for smart growth managed by various Commission Directorates-General and in various EU programmes must be brought into a more coherent and synergetic framework, and better articulated with Structural Fund initiatives, the support of the European Investment Bank and member states' actions," the EPC chair explains.
"Stronger links are needed between RTD, innovation, regional and city development, and green public procurement, and on getting the market regulations right," he adds. But "the transformation to smarter green growth will [also] come through innovations developed by the private sector," including broadband networks, smart electrical power grids, energy-use and carbon emission monitoring, transport systems and smart buildings, the paper recalls.
"The market and regulatory frameworks must enable and encourage these investments," Johnston writes.
"Policymakers need to be provided with concrete recommendations to achieve the goal of a smarter and greener EU economy," he concludes.
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