European Commission President Barroso calls on Europe's leaders to deliver progressive reforms not protectionism

Summary: European Commission President Barroso calls on Europe's leaders to deliver progressive reforms not protectionism (Brussels, 21 March 2006)

EU leaders must at this week's Spring European Council in Brussels seize the opportunity to put Europe firmly on track towards growth and jobs and turn away from protectionism. That is the clear message that European Commission President José Manuel Barroso has delivered two days ahead of the summit. The European Council will have on the table the Commission's Annual Progress Report on the Lisbon Strategy, the partnership between the EU and Member States for growth and more and better jobs. The Report (see IP/06/71 and MEMO/06/23) calls for clear decisions and unequivocal commitments in four priority action areas: investment in education, research and innovation; freeing up SMEs (see MEMO/06/136 and MEMO/06/135); employment policies to get people into work; and guaranteeing a secure and sustainable energy supply.

President Barroso said:

"I am looking for the European Council to take decisions in four key areas: on knowledge, enterprise, employment and energy." The President called for "full respect of the principles underpinning the single market and full respect of competitiveness: I hope Member States get that message. By definition, in Europe we cannot accept economic nationalism... we cannot build barriers against each other in a single market". He underlined: "For business we need to roll out a red carpet, not create red tape."

After his meeting with President Putin in Moscow at the week-end, the President emphasized in his message to Europe's leaders that he expects full endorsement of the Commission's approach for a more integrated and coherent energy policy. President Barroso sees Thursday as the test of ambition - as EU citizens identify energy as an area for further integration.

The President of the European Commission also asked for the European Council's endorsement of the proposal of a European Institute of Technology and for a European Globalisation adjustment Fund.

On the Services Directive, President Barroso added that given that the chance of adoption of the Commission's original proposal was "zero", Member States should now back the Commission's revised proposal, which would be broadly based on the text approved by the European Parliament. That text "would greatly improve the conditions for service providers compared to today's situation and is therefore a good - and frankly the only realistic - basis for a final agreement."

Background

The four priority action areas designated in the Commission's Annual Progress Report and some of the main measures to which EU leaders are being asked to commit are:

1. Investing in education and research

Every Member State should immediately set a clear target for overall (public and private) R&D expenditure for 2010 and those targets taken together should be ambitious enough to reach the overall goal of 3% GDP for the EU as a whole.;
Investment in higher education be stepped up from the current 1.28% of GDP, including by removing barriers to universities seeking complementary private funding.
There should be a European Institute for Technology (see IP/06/201 and MEMO/06/88) by 2009, to improve the relationship between education, research and innovation, and to help turn R&D results into commercial opportunities, innovations and jobs.

2. Freeing up SME's and unlocking business potential

By 2007, Member States should each set up a "one-stop shop" to assist future entrepreneurs and so that businesses can fulfil all administrative requirements in one place.
The average time for setting up a business should be cut to one week or less.

3. Getting people into work

Every young person who has left school or university should be offered a job, apprenticeship or additional training within six months of becoming unemployed by the end of 2007, and within 100 days by 2010.
There should be stronger efforts to meet national targets for the provision of affordable high-quality childcare and measures to achieve greater gender equality at work and to promote a work-life balance.
"Active ageing" should be implemented, with more training for those over 45, financial incentives for prolonging working lives and use of part-time work.

4. Efficient, secure and sustainable energy

The Commission is asking the European Council to endorse the broad policy lines set out in its Energy Green Paper published earlier this month (see IP/06/282). The Green Paper carried a blunt message: energy is a global issue that needs a European response. It proposes over 30 measures, on how to deliver sustainable, competitive and secure energy for Europeans, for example:

Better coordination between Europe's electricity grids and gas pipeline systems, better regulation of energy markets, more competition and an end to protectionism.
More tax and other incentives to promote sustainable energy use and boost research into energy efficiency, clean energy and renewables.
Europe "speaking with one voice" in negotiations with the external suppliers who will supply more and more of our energy.

The Commission also assesses in the Annual Progress Report each of the National Reform Programmes drawn up by Member States for the first time. The next step is to identify areas where the scope for mutual learning is greatest and for the Commission to help Member States take up promising policy ideas from each other's NRPs. By providing a strong mandate for this work, which will begin with a meeting of national coordinators in Brussels on 28 March, the European Council can further boost this crucial process.

Ref: EC06-117EN
EU source: European Commission
UN forum:
Date: 21/3/2006

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