Hoorzitting ESC: "Effectieve implementatie van de Lissabon-agenda" (en)

Effective implementation of the Lisbon strategy

9 SEPTEMBER, 9.30 A.M. 10 SEPTEMBER 13.00 P.M. HEARING WITH NATIONAL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCILS AND EUROPEAN ORGANISATIONS ORGANISED BY THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE

This hearing to be organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will provide input to the work the EESC is carrying out on this subject. It follows the request from the European Council of 25 and 26 March 2004 to the EESC to consider how to bring about more effective implementation of the Lisbon Strategy. The EESC Drafting Group, Mr Bruno Vever (Group I, Employers, France), Mr. Ernst Erik Ehnmark (Group II, Trade Unions, Sweden) and Mr. John Simpson (Group III, Various interests, UK), is preparing the Opinion for the end of October, deadline set by the European Council for contributions to the mid-term review of the Lisbon strategy to be carried out at the European Council in the Spring of 2005.

The Lisbon strategy sets out an ambitious programme for the period to 2010 including key issues for the future development of Europe as an economically competitive and socially balanced welfare area, which also takes into account sustainable development. To ensure that the set objectives are achieved a more determined implementation of the Lisbon strategy is of utmost importance.

The EESC has already provided a number of opinions on the implementation of the Strategy and has consistently stressed the importance it attaches to the role of dialogue with organized civil society in Europe to ensure the effective implementation of the Strategy.

In the mid-term review of the Lisbon strategy, specific attention will need to be paid to issues of implementation at national level as well as interaction with European policy makers. For the EESC it is, therefore, important to establish a direct dialogue with national economic and social councils as well as other forums of organized civil society in the old and the new Member States and organisations at European level, in order to explore means to invigorate the implementation process.

(Tel: +32 2 546 93 58; Fax: +32 2 546 82 27;

e-mail: gilbert.marchlewitz@esc.eu.int)

The hearing will take place from 9.30 on 9 September to 13.00 on 10 September , in the EESC's New Headquarters, Rue Belliard 99, 1040 Brussels. Key questions to be discussed during the hearing:

1. Enterprise Europe: What steps are necessary to improve the competitive advantages of European enterprises?

2. Creating an R&D area... : What are the reasons for the slow evolution and how can better development be achieved?

3. ... and deepening the knowledge-intensive society: What are the reasons for slow progress and how can processes be speeded-up?

4. Improving the macroeconomic environment: What needs to be done to create more favourable macroeconomic framework conditions in Europe?

5. Achieving Competitiveness and Welfare: How can the Lisbon strategy enrich the European social model? And vice versa: how can the European social model enrich the implementation of the Lisbon strategy?

6. Ensuring the future: How can the Lisbon strategy serve as a platform for sustainable development? What are the links with the EU sustainable development strategy?

7. Removing obstacles: What are the reasons for lack of dynamism in implementation of the Strategy and how can blockages be overcome?

8. Acting for success: How can the open method of coordination be improved? What would be the relation with the community method?

9. Implementing Enlargement: What needs to be done to assure the Strategy is implemented more effectively in the 10 new Member States?

10. Exploiting synergies: How can policy implementation be improved to ensure that economic, social and environmental policies be mutually reinforcing?

11. Involving civil society: How can Partnerships for change (cf. point 45 of the Presidency Conclusion of the European Council of 25/26 March 2004) contribute to a more dynamic implementation of the Lisbon strategy?

12. Concentrating efforts: What are the core overarching proposals needed to push the Strategy forward?