Press Release: The Commission adopts its Communication on Structural Indicators

The Communication proposes the set of indicators to be used in the Synthesis Report for the spring 2001 European Council in Stockholm. The 27 indicators proposed provide a good balance across the four policy domains agreed at the Lisbon European Council in March 2000: employment, innovation, economic reform and social cohesion. The use of indicators and benchmarks allows for an open assessment and comparison between Member States and other developed economies. This helps to show where there is scope for improvement in the Union and also encourages Member States' governments to pursue reforms in these areas more vigorously. In this respect these indicators will provide a vital instrument for monitoring and comparing progress in the follow-up to the Lisbon strategy