Govt Pleased Overall with Lisbon Reform Proposal
The government is pleased, overall, with the proposed reform of the Lisbon Strategy, as it agrees with the shift of focus to growth and employment. Yet it also wants greater integration with the various documents mentioned in the reform proposals, to ensure a balanced implementation of sustainable development measures, the government said after Thursday's session.
According to the official position on the Lisbon reform, which was drafted by the national Institute for Macroeconomic Analysis and Development (IMAD), the proposal is largely in line with guidelines of a government working group for Lisbon reform that were presented in November, and the guidelines for Slovenia's activities in EU institutions for this year.
Slovenia agrees with a clear definition of priorities and objectives, which it sees as crucial for the anticipated development breakthrough. It is also necessary to improve Lisbon Strategy management towards greater commitment of member states for implementation.
The government divided key reforms into three sections, the first one being the creation of a better business environment and the development of new companies. For IMAD, the key tasks in this segments include improving the effectiveness of the internal market; boosting investment towards greater productivity; and improving the transport and telecoms infrastructure.
The EU is also making plans for trade policy measures that would give European companies greater access to countries outside the bloc. Yet the government would also like to see a plan for appropriate agreements with the Western Balkans and countries of the former Soviet Union, which are crucial for Slovenia.
The second set of reforms deals with innovation and growth, in particular measures to improve technical development and facilitate the introduction of new technologies. The transition to a knowledge-based society has a key role, as employment, upgraded labour legislation and social policy will enable the country to address challenges more effectively, according to the government.
Probably the most pressing issue in this segment is the ageing population: according to European Commission data, Slovenia and Belgium are farthest from achieving the objective of having 50 percent of the older population in paid employment until 2010.
The third set of reforms deals with efforts to create new and better jobs. The government makes special mention of the free flow of labour, in particular the need to lift labour restrictions that most EU members introduced for the Central and Eastern European EU newcomers in 2004.
The government also urges the EU to pay greater attention to the new EU members, which are finding it harder to achieve certain objectives due to the worse starting positions. The implementation of the Lisbon Strategy, with "carefully weighed measures", can improve economic convergence and cohesion between old and new EU members, the government is convinced.
The government, furthermore, welcomes the proposal for European and national action plans for Lisbon Strategy implementation. It notes, however, that member states must be allowed enough flexibility to define priorities independently. Slovenia also supports the proposal for the appointment of national Lisbon coordinators.
While the government agrees with the reform in general, it also has some remarks about the document. Most notably, it states that synergies between improved competitiveness and environment protection are not emphasised enough, and that the reform "offers only half the answer to forthcoming challenges, as too little is said about the urgency of social and environmental policies".
IMAD notes that the overhauled strategy does not neglect the social aspect: creating better conditions for growth, new jobs and a better business environment, will also reduce poverty and social differences, the document states.
One of the main challenges remains increasing competitiveness by improving and taking advantage of positive environment protection synergies; this is not stressed enough in the Commission's proposal, IMAD believes. Environmental objectives must remain a key part of the Lisbon Strategy, as this can be a source of competitive advantage on global markets.
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