Ministers back growth and employment focus of Kok report

The Competitiveness Council has supported the Kok
report, agreeing that growth and employment are prerequisites
for social cohesion and sustainable development.

Industry ministers have supported the overall focus of the Kok
report on growth, employment and productivity as a precondition for
social cohesion and sustainable development. Moreover, they agreed
with the recommendation to concentrate on a limited number of key
areas.

The report, which was drafted by a high level expert group
chaired by former Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok, was discussed by
the Competitiveness Council for the first time on 25 November
2004. 

The Council expressed broad support for the report as a good
basis for the mid-term review of the Lisbon process,
which is due to be adopted in 2005. Ministers are backing the
report’s recommendation for member states to draw up national
action plans to drive through structural reforms. They
expressed hope that such an approach could reduce the overall
“reporting burden” on governments. 

Ministers emphasised that the Kok report was of great relevance
for the Competitiveness Council, which would have a central role to
play in three of the five priority areas: knowledge society,
internal market and entrepreneurship.

The Dutch Presidency has now asked the High Level Group on
Competitiveness and Growth to prepare a key issues paper of the
Competitiveness Council, which will be presented to the European
Spring Council in March 2005.

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