Jansa: Overhauled Lisbon Agenda Increases Commitment of Member States

Brussels, 23 March

PM Janez Jansa welcomed the reform of the Lisbon Agenda approved by the EU summit on Wednesday. He said the reformed economic plans were based on more realistic grounds than they were five years ago when the agenda was first passed. Moreover, the monitoring of implementation has become a part of the Strategy, which increases the commitment of the member states.

"The EU today extended the life expectancy of the Lisbon Strategy, while abandoning the goals set exaggeratedly high at the outset," Jansa said. "The Strategy has been brought down to realistic ground...We have cast aside illusions from 2000 based on then economic prosperity," the PM said.
Jansa stressed the monitoring of the Strategy's implementation. "This is no longer a general document - every country must draft a three-year action plan whose implementation will be monitored annually," Jansa stressed.
Liberalisation of the services market in the EU will be a key pillar of the relaunched Lisbon Agenda, according to Jansa, who said that this would determine whether the EU will indeed become one of the world's most competitive economies.
No member state questioned the liberalisation, he said, adding that the debate evolved around the adequacy of the current draft directive. He said that the assessment prevailed in the end that the draft directive be changed rather than abandoned altogether.
The PM also welcomed the reform of the Stability and Growth Pact, which was approved by the European Council on Tuesday. "It is very important that the reform was passed without sacrificing the main part of the Pact, which is of key importance for stable economic development of the EU in the coming years," the PM said.

Jansa: Overhauled Lisbon Agenda Increases Commitment of Member States

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