Tag: Lisbon Agenda

Romanian President Traian Basescu has criticised the European Commission's proposed ten-year economic strategy for lacking commitments to pursuing the EU's goal of bridging regional development gaps and promoting "unattainable" targets, such as allocating 3% of GDP to research and development. EurActiv Romania reports.

European governments are working behind the scenes to find common ground on the EU 2020 strategy designed to deliver growth and jobs for the next decade. The EurActiv network highlights the variety of views emerging from across the bloc.

German Economy Minister Rainer Brüderle reacted negatively against what he described as plans by the Spanish EU Presidency to "sanction" member states who do not comply with the European Union's growth objectives. EurActiv Spain reports.

On his first day as president of the European Union, Herman Van Rompuy called a special summit to seek a way out of the current crisis and start mapping the EU's economic and social agenda for the next decade.

The European Union should equip itself with an "ambitious" social plan by spring 2010 in order to fight growing unemployment, EU leaders are expected to state at the conclusion of a two-day summit which opens in Brussels today (10 December).

As the recession bites, the European Commission and national governments have begun to reflect on replacing the EU's overarching strategy for growth and jobs, known as the Lisbon Strategy. 'Green growth', innovation and education are likely to feature highly among the strategy's new priorities.

The European Commission will propose plans for a wide-ranging strategy to lift the EU out of recession next week, inviting member states to lead Europe towards a green, knowledge-based economy by 2020, according to a draft paper seen by EurActiv.

A consultation of European local authorities and cities has revealed strong criticism of the way the Lisbon Strategy for growth and jobs has been implemented across the 27 member states of the European Union. Christine Chapman, rapporteur on the consultation for the Committee of the Regions, spoke to EurActiv in an interview.

A report by a government-appointed expert group in Ireland makes uncomfortable reading for EU policymakers invested in Europe's 'knowledge economy'. 

After hosting a meeting of EU employment ministers last week, the Swedish EU Presidency began to set out its ambition for a revised Lisbon Agenda, casting the EU's future growth and jobs policies along Nordic lines.

A "new, more focused and more efficient" Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs is expected to be adopted during the Spanish EU Presidency in spring 2010, but "preparing and setting the framework" for this strategy will be an important task of the incoming Swedish Presidency, EU Affairs Minister Cecilia Malmström told EurActiv in an interview.

EU Employment and Social Affairs Commissioner Vladimír Špidla yesterday (25 June) urged EU member states to do more to protect young people facing unemployment, and reiterated a number of proposals for battling the EU's jobs crisis.

The Lisbon Strategy for growth and jobs, the European Commission's flagship policy agenda for the past five years, has a "branding problem" and needs to be revisited, according to a top EU official. Sweden, which opens the strategy's review process this autumn, will kick off the search for a "new narrative" to make the agenda more relevant to citizens, the official told EurActiv in an interview.

The European Union has failed in its effort to become the world's most innovative region under the so-called Lisbon Agenda, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said on 2 June.

As the recession bites, national governments and the European Commission have begun to reflect on replacing the EU's overarching strategy for growth and jobs, known as the Lisbon Agenda. 'Green growth', innovation and education are likely to feature highly among the EU's new priorities. EurActiv explores the debate and timeline.

Felipe González, chairman of a reflection group on the future of Europe, recognised yesterday (24 March) that the Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs, launched in 2000 with the objective of transforming the Union into the world's most competitive knowledge-based economy by 2010, has failed.

Anna Diamantopoulou, a former EU social affairs commissioner, has warned EU leaders against protectionist rhetoric ahead of an EU summit on 1 March that is due to address the worsening economic recession. She spoke to EurActiv in an interview.

Companies across the United States and Europe announced over 70,000 job cuts on Monday (26 January) in what appears to be the worst day yet for employment since the economic downturn began.

On 22-23 March 2005, the Spring Council discussed the Commission's mid-term review of the Lisbon strategy for economic, social and environmental renewal. More focus on growth and employment, simplification and national ownership via national action plans are the key elements to relaunch the Lisbon reforms agenda.

Current challenges like climate change and the fuel and food crises call for an update of the Lisbon Agenda, Romanian MEP Daniel Daianu (ALDE) told EurActiv in an interview.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are key to reverting the negative effects of globalisation on the job market. They were behind a successful project launched two years ago to help the suffering textile sector in Portugal and have been renewed and extended to other industries.

The EU budget is outdated, does not represent current Community needs and should be reformed at its core by addressing the decision-making procedures, argues CEPS Director Daniel Gros.

While heads of states and government congratulated themselves on putting social and environmental concerns back onto the EU’s growth and jobs agenda at a Summit on 13-14 March, social NGOs blasted them for the "social emptiness" of their conclusions.

The EU's 'Lisbon' goals of boosting R&D and scientific innovation are just "part of the story", Slovenia's Minister for Growth Ziga Turk told EurActiv in an exclusive interview. He believes the EU can make use of its global lead in fine arts to develop new products and services ahead of its competitors – but only if it makes progress on intellectual property and IT infrastructure.