EU summit calls for economic growth

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, March 27, 2004

EU summit calls for economic growth

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The summit of the European Union(EU), which ended here Friday, pledged to boost the EU's economy to meet the targets set by the Lisbon Strategy after the EU leaders had reached consensus on measures for fighting terrorism, re-launching the talks on EU constitution.

Meeting the Lisbon challenges was the core agenda of the summit,but the EU leaders were not so upbeat about the issue as they wereabout measures for combating terrorism and re-starting the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) on Thursday.

Four years ago in Lisbon, the EU promised that Europe would become the most competitive knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010.

However, the weak economy and such problems as the aging population and unemployment have made the goal a difficult one to attain. Only 40 percent of the member states have translated the Lisbon directives into national law.

"We're four years in and we're well behind target, ... The delivery gap has risks to become a credibility gap," said EuropeanParliament President Pat Cox gloomily.

In the conclusions issued by the summit, the EU leaders agreed that the critical issue for the problem is "the need for better implementation of commitments already made."

The summit, known as the European Council in the EU jargon, mapped out some macro-economic policies and arrangements for sustainable economic growth, encouraging competitiveness, innovation and the creation of more jobs.

The policies and measures include accelerating internal reforms,maintaining sound budgetary positions, improving internal market systems, ensuring investment in research and development, improving employment quality and investing in human capital.

The summit also appointed former Dutch prime minister Wim Kok to head a work group to study the European economy. He is to writea report about the progress made within the EU and to point out where the obstacles lie for the further economic development of the EU.

Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, whose country now heads the EU Presidency, was a little bit more optimistic about the Lisbon strategy.

"The climate for delivering on the Lisbon agenda is better thanit has been in the last four years," he said, noting that the EU has created six million new jobs since 1999.

On Friday, the summit also made clear the EU's stance on such international issues as the Middle East, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The summit expressed "deep concern" over the situation in the Middle East following the extrajudicial killing of Hamas spiritualleader Sheikh Yassin by Israel.

The EU will "mobilize all its instruments and will develop its vision for stability in the region through the strategic partnership it is seeking to establish with the Mediterranean and the Middle East", said the summit conclusions.

The EU also supports a strong role of the United Nations in thepolitical transitional process in Iraq, adding that this is "an essential element for success".

The summit also expects the EU-Russian Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) to be applicable to all EU member states "without precondition or distinction" after the EU enlargement on May 1.

A day earlier, the summit issued a declaration on measures for fighting terrorism like sharing intelligence and tightening bordercontrol in response to the March 11 Madrid terrorist bombings.

The EU leaders vowed to act jointly to fight terrorism in line with so-called Solidarity Clause, or Article 42 of the draft Constitution for Europe, including mobilizing military resources to assist an EU member state or acceding state that is under terrorist attack.

The summit also approved the appointment of former Dutch deputyinterior minister Gijs de Vries as EU Counter-terrorism Coordinator.

Another rosy outcome of the summit is that the EU leaders agreed to arrange the resumption of formal talks in the IGC and they decided that the agreement on the Constitutional Treaty "should be reached no later than the June European Council."

Source:Xinhua

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