The Lisbon Strategy (February 2005)
Documente: European Council of 02 February 2005, entitled "Working together for growth and jobs. A new start for the Lisbon strategy".
Communication from President Barroso in agreement with Vice-President Verheugen

The Lisbon strategy shows the outcomes to be somewhat disappointing, at mid-term look, and particularly with reference to employment. In order to improve the strategy, the Commission proposes a simplified coordination procedure and a focus on the national action plans (NAP).
The commission does not underline the figures of the targets, the only one to be retained is the figure of 3% of GDP to be devoted to research and development by 2010.
The Communication insists on the urgent action needed in the Member States and it does not insist on the medium and long term.
In other words, the Commission has decided to focus attention on the action to be taken rather than targets to be attained. The date of 2010 and the objectives concerning the various rates of employment are thus no longer put forward as priorities.

Summarizing, five years after the launch of the Lisbon strategy, the Commission finds the results somewhat disappointing and the European economy has failed to deliver the expected performance in terms of:
1. growth
2. productivity and employment
3. job creation has slowed
4. there is still insufficient investment in research and development

Accordingly, in order to stimulate growth, employment and more and better jobs, the Commission intends to:
1. make the European Union (EU) more attractive to investors and workers
• by building up the internal market, improving the European and national regulations • by ensuring open and competitive markets within and outside Europe • by extending and improving European infrastructures

2. encourage knowledge and innovation
• by promoting more investment in research and development
• by facilitating innovation, the take-up of information and communication technologies (ICT) and the sustainable use of resources
• by helping to create a strong European industrial base

3. more and better jobs
• attract more people to the employment market and modernise social protection systems
• improve the adaptability of the workforce and business sector, and increase the flexibility of the labour markets in order to help Europe adjust to restructuring and market changes
• invest more in human capital by improving education and skills

4. bettr governance • labour market policies (the Luxembourg process)
• microeconomic and structural reforms (the Cardiff process)
• macroeconomic and budgetary measures (the Cologne process)


Document: Presidency Conclusions of the Spring European Council in Brussels on 23/24 March 2006

The European Council calls for the quick establishment of the European Research Council working on the basis of criteria aiming at raising yet further the excellence of Europe's best research teams.

The European Council calls on the European Investment Bank (EIB) to support innovation and to reinforce its action in R&D. (EUR 30 billion from EIB and EU budget).

The European Council confirms that education and training must occupy a central position in the Lisbon reform agenda. National learning strategies should provide all citizens with the competences and qualifications they need, increasingly assisted at Community level by educational and training programmes such as Erasmus and Leonardo.

By the end of 2007 every young person who has left school and is unemployed should be offered a job, apprenticeship or additional training measure within six months.

Investment in education and training should be targeted on areas where economic returns and social outcomes are high. The European Council calls on the Member States

• to facilitate, in line with national practices, universities' access to complementary sources of funding, including private ones
• to remove barriers to public-private partnerships with businesses
• the search for excellence and innovation at all levels of education and training, in particular through better links between higher education, research and enterprises, is crucial.

The European Council calls on the Member States to develop a life-cycle approach to work

• facilitating swift employment transitions throughout working life
• leading to an increase in the total number of hours worked in the economy
• to improving the efficiency of investment in human capital

Summarizing the European Council agrees on the following areas for priority action:
• Investing more in knowledge and innovation
• Unlocking business potential, especially of SMEs
• Increasing employment opportunities for priority categories knowledge and innovation for growth, • making Europe a more attractive place to invest and work
• creating more and better jobs
The European Council calls on the Council, the European Parliament and the Commission to take the appropriate measures to ensure that the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund is operational preferably by 1 January 2007.