nowEurope

“Just think what Europe could be. Think of the innate strengths of our enlarged Union. Think of its untapped potential to create prosperity and offer opportunity and justice for all its citizens. Europe can be a beacon of economic, social and environmental progress to the rest of the world.”

No this is not Konrad Adenauer’s or Robert Schumann’s vision for Europe some 50 years ago, but President Barroso’s one, in February 2005, communicating on how Members States could better work together for growth and jobs and how the EU could take a new start for the Lisbon Strategy.

Based on policy recommendations for the Mid-Term Review of the Lisbon Strategy, all Members States had been asked in 2005 to put together Action Plans for National Lisbon Strategy in the framework of a new partnership for Growth and Jobs.

One year after, which conclusions can be made?

According to Gunter Verheugen, Vice-President of the European Commission and responsible for Enterprise and Industry, one year after, the new partnership for Growth and Jobs has been off to a good start and the coming adoption of an annual progress report should confirm this.

According to M. Verheugen, the new partnership approach is working well and the EU has established the fundaments for a consistent economic policy coordination in Europe.

In particular, at the EU-level, significant progress has been made on the Community Lisbon programme in the six months since its adoption: the Commission has already adopted two thirds of the around 100 actions foreseen between 2005 and 2008. However, legislative proposals will only produce practical effects once adopted by Council and Parliament. In addition, many of the financing actions depend on the finalisation and implementation of the financial perspectives 2007-2013.

At national level some concrete results arising from the national reform programmes in 2 specific areas:

1. Research and innovation, where commitments of Member states in their programmes imply a significant progress towards the 3% target. R&D targets are met in the 18 countries and R&D expenditure is now estimated to go up to around 2.6% by 2010. In addition, several Member States have implemented policies with fiscal measures to leverage private R&D.

2. Business environment and SMEs: 14 Member States are carrying out - or intend to carry out - analyses of the administrative costs imposed by legislation and 5 countries specified quantitative targets for reducing administrative costs (e.g. 20 or 25% by 2010). A number of countries have also taken interesting initiatives to strengthen access to capital for SMEs or for innovative companies.

On the latter, let’s keep in mind that improving SMEs? environment will be a priority for the Austrian Presidency.