“No more comparisons with the US,” EU policy-makers agree

Europe has to play to its own strengths, said policy-makers
at a conference. Moreover, the Barroso Commission will have an
important job in conveying the Lisbon message to European
citizens. 

At a conference hosted by Friends of Europe and EURACTIV on 15
October 2004, over sixty senior representatives from EU
institutions, industry and NGOs discussed potential ways
forward for the struggling Lisbon agenda (see also EURACTIV 15 October and 18
October 2004). The aim was to make recommendations to the
Barroso Commission of how to embrace its responsibility to help get
EU competitiveness back on track.

Several main messages evolved from the discussion. In
particular, participants agreed that the constant comparison
between the US and the EU economies was not very useful. “Being
competitive does not necessarily mean being the same,” one MEP
pointed out. 

“Europe is different from the US and Japan,” a Commission
official added. “Let’s build on those things that are strongly
European. Perceived constraints such as environmental and social
standards can be turned into opportunties.” Instead, there was a
strong agreement that better benchmarking was
needed within Europe.

In this respect, the environmental and social pillars of the
Lisbon process must not be neglected. “The old-fashioned debate in
which competitiveness is seen as a prerequisite for sustainable
development is wrong,” one senior official emphasised. “Europe
must seize its opportunities in the areas that it can lead on, such
as resource efficiency.”

Moreover, participants agreed on the importance to get all
stakeholders and citizens involved. “We need a story, a political
narrative, that relates to citizens’ experiences,” one senior
politician pointed out. “This way, pressure for reform will build
up from below.”

The Commission can play a crucial role in this process. “We need
a message, but we also need a messenger,” said a senior MEP. “The
Commission can’t afford to wait until it is given the floor, it has
to take the floor. The main challenge for Barroso will be to prove
himself a leader and a messenger.” The Commission must
also assure the continuity of policies over the long-term,
added a senior official.

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