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A Brief Introduction to the Lisbon Strategy
"To make the EU the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion"
With the expansion of the European Union eastwards in the last few years, increasing the number of Member States to 27, a greater disparity in wealth between geographical regions became apparent. Cohesion policy therefore set its main goal as attempting to redress this balance by helping disadvantaged regions to develop.
Similarly, it is clear that the increasing demands of globalisation require almost all regions to restructure, modernise and generate innovation in knowledge and communication within the European Union. This is intrinsically linked to the Lisbon strategy of growth and jobs.
Cohesion policy in the 2007-13 period will be undertaken with a more strategic approach, based on these priorities, at the EU, national, regional and local level. The results of this should be, on the one hand, increased economic efficiency and competitiveness, and on the other greater political transparency and accountability.
35.7% of the European Union’s total budget for the period 2007-13, or €347.41bn, will be earmarked for cohesion policy.
A clear link with the Lisbon National Reform Programmes is made by the National Strategic Reference Framework (2007-2013), the key document which outlines the strategic priorities of each Member State in the implementation of cohesion policy.
In addition, Member States provided information on the contribution of cohesion policy in their Lisbon annual implementation report at the end of 2007, in pursuit of their National Reform Programme.
Useful links
European Commission Growth and Jobs
Territorial Dimension of the Libson/Gothenburg Process
(Source: ec.europa.eu)
