Nordic success proves Lisbon can work, claims Agenda guru

Date: 25/03/04

By Dana Spinant

THE Scandinavian countries' success in achieving competitiveness and social inclusion proves that the embattled 'Lisbon Agenda' goals are realizable, the woman behind the EU's Lisbon strategy has said.

Speaking to European Voice, Maria João Rodrigues, dubbed 'the mother of the Lisbon Agenda' for her role in drafting the blueprint to turn Europe into the world's top economy by 2010, admitted the Nordic countries are racing ahead of the other member states in applying reforms.

“After four years, we can say that the Scandinavian countries perform better on enhancing competitiveness while preserving social inclusion. We can say that the Lisbon goals are achievable.”

However, João Rodrigues, a senior academic and advisor to the European Commission, admitted that the key question to Europe's success is whether the 'Nordic model' is exportable.

“This is a big challenge. We need common priorities, but should be able to respect the diversity of national systems,” she said.

João Rodrigues said the key was to find “the European way to combine competitiveness with social inclusion while respecting the national cultural diversity” and criticized views that the Lisbon Agenda is solely a drive to achieve competitiveness, insisting that its social element is essential.

The Portuguese said the EU institutions have done most of their job in adopting “the instruments necessary” to apply the reforms, but the member states are lagging behind with implementation at local level. Brussels has adopted some “100 decisions, among which 70 are directives and 15 action plans to convert, via policy instruments, the Lisbon goals”, she said, adding that she is not “completely happy with the outcome of a key point: the way structural change is done at local level, by member states”.

João Rodrigues acknowledged the EU institutions should improve coordination but dismissed calls by leaders of France, Germany and the UK to give responsibility for the whole Lisbon Agenda to a 'super-commissioner'. Instead, the president of the Commission should be personally in charge of it, she said.

“The Lisbon Agenda is so broad - it includes social affairs, the environment, research, competition, education - that one commissioner cannot be in charge of all this. It should be a central task for the president.”

She praised the Commission's proposal for the EU's spending plans in 2007-13, which shifts the Union's budget towards meeting the Lisbon goals by allocating more money for research and development and other growth-enhancing sectors. However, she regrets that farm spending, which is “the biggest bottleneck for Lisbon”, still “has too much weight in the budget.

“But we should be able to mobilize other resources, those of national governments, not necessarily of the EU, to achieve Lisbon.”

A combination of public and private sector cash, as well as funds from the European Investment Bank, should provide money to invest in education, research and other “competitiveness-enhancing initiatives”, she added.

João Rodrigues regretted that the draft constitution drawn up by the Convention on the future of Europe failed to give the Union more powers on improving coordination of member states' economic policies.

“Economic governance is one of the shortcomings of the draft constitution on the Lisbon Agenda,” she said.

The Portuguese believes a reshuffled Stability and Growth Pact could boost the Lisbon goals. The pact should focus more on the sustainability of public debt; encourage EU states to redirect public spending towards research and development, education and innovation; if the member states comply with the first two conditions, they could be allowed to run a public deficit of 3% of their gross domestic product.

She also says that immigration could help Europe achieve its structural reforms, but wants a “responsible policy” towards immigration. “We should open the borders insofar as we can provide social inclusion” for newcomers, she said.

Maria João Rodrigues, advisor to the European Commission says that the Nordic countries are speeding ahead of other Member States in implementing reforms to improve competitiveness, proving that the Lisbon Agenda goals are achievable.