Recession scuppers EU’s growth and jobs goals

Recession is taking a heavy toll on Europe's economies. European countries are all suffering from the global economic downturn, but some – such as Finland – are better placed to withstand the crunch, according to The 2009 European Growth and Jobs Monitor: Indicators of Success in the Knowledge Economy, an annual competitiveness survey published by the Lisbon Council and Allianz SE. The study, now in its third edition, was issued in March 2009. It looks at the EU’s 14 largest economies – Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom – and measures how they perform in reaching goals derived from the so-called Lisbon Agenda, the 2000 initiative in which European leaders vowed to make Europe a 'competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy, capable of sustainable economic growth, with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion.' The Alllianz/Lisbon Council study ranks countries according to six key criteria including economic growth, productivity growth, jobs, human capital, future-oriented investment and sustainable public finances.

Lisbon Council: European Growth and Jobs Monitor 2009 http://www.lisboncouncil.net/publication/publication/37-the-2009-european-growth-and-jobs-monitor.html

---