Transforming the eu into the most competitive economy
The FOI is a member of the Brussels-based Union of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe (UNICE). A major annual UNICE initiative is the preparation of an updated report with its members' views on the progress within the European Union...
The FOI is a member of the Brussels-based Union of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe (UNICE). A major annual UNICE initiative is the preparation of an updated report with its members' views on the progress within the European Union vis-à-vis the so-called Lisbon Process.
This process, set in Lisbon three years ago, aims at transforming the Union into the most competitive economy in the world by 2010. The UNICE annual report is submitted to the Spring European Council, held in March each year since Lisbon in 2000. As of this year, the situation in the ten acceding countries, including Malta, will be taken into account.
The FOI has prepared for this year's exercise by putting together a detailed report comparing Malta's current performance under the numerous Lisbon statistical indicators with those of the EU15 (and the other countries acceding in 2004).
The main findings of this comparative exercise started being featured on Thursday as part of a series of six articles in The Times Business, issued each week.
In the first article, the background behind the Lisbon Strategy, the main decisions taken at the Spring European Councils, as well as both UNICE's and the FOI's work in this field were overviewed.
Over the coming weeks, articles will also be discussing the different thematic chapters of this report. The broad areas considered are entitled: General Economic Background, Employment, Innovation and Research, Economic Reform, Environment and Social Cohesion. The sixth and final article will put forward a number of FOI policy recommendations in the different areas.
We encourage readers of this column to acquire a copy of these interesting articles, which provide a good synopsis of the FOI report, which is to be presented to the public at the end of next month at a conference being organised by the Malta Federation of Industry for the purpose. For further information on this conference, contact the FOI Secretariat on tel: 2123-4428, 2122-2074, fax: 2124-0702 or e-mail info@foi.org.mt.