Posted on 01/27/2005 5:38:24 AM PST by Alex Marko
BRUSSELS - The European Commission has expressed its doubts about the EU's chances to achieve its goals in employment and social policies, in two reports preceeding the mid-review of its "Lisbon agenda".
The Lisbon strategy set concrete economic targets to make Europe the world's most competitive economy by 2010. However, the numbers show that the EU is lagging behind both its own goals and the US - its key competitor.
Employment is sluggish, labour productivity growth is falling dramatically and social exclusion is rising, conclude the documents adopted today (27 January).
To meet the EU employment rate target of 70% in five years, Europe still needs to create more than 22 million jobs.
The mid-term goal of 67% will be missed, as it has stagnated at 63%, and "without much more positive trends, the 2010 target will not be achieved," suggests the employment report.
Still way behind the US The trends are particularly worrying in the old member states.
"While the US managed to combine strong employment and productivity growth, in the EU-15, it has fallen dramatically," states the paper, adding that "the slowdown in productivity suggests broader underlying difficulties of the EU economies to foster and absorb innovation".
"In terms of productivity per head, the EU lags behind the US by 20%", said the employment and social affairs commissioner Vladimir Spidla, briefing on the report on Wednesday.
Despite negative results in most of the member states, Mr Spidla defended the Lisbon strategy. "We have some targets. The fact that they have not been reached does not mean they are wrong".
"We have moved towards better quality in work, reformed the public services and in several countries we have a better legislation for setting up businesses. However, we still have not managed to involve older workers in the labour market, to cut down a pay gap between men and women and deal with illegal labour."
Don't touch the EU's 'social model' Mr Spidla strongly rejected the idea that the current Commission should focus on encouraging economic competitiveness, rather than on the social aspects of the Lisbon agenda.
"Europe is producing its economic growth thanks to its "social model", not in spite of it," argued Mr Spidla, pointing to Nordic countries where a strong welfare state goes hand-in-hand with good economic results.
As an example, the Czech Commissioner compared the European economy to two different kinds of planes.
"Our economy is like Airbus, as opposed to Concorde. To create the latter, all the effort was put on reaching a maximum speed. Instead, our plane might not be the fastest, but it is more economical and ecological. And in the long run, that has proved the best mix of qualities."
Poverty rising However, the European social model defended by Mr Spidla, does not seem to prevent high levels of poverty in the old continent, while its reduction was also one of the Lisbon goals.
More than 68 million people, or 15% of the EU population were living at risk of poverty in 2002.
The figures varied from 10% in the Czech Republic, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary and Slovenia to 20% in Ireland, Slovakia, Greece and Portugal, according to the report on social inclusion.
The report also suggested that the current numbers might be even more discomforting as "the recent economic slowdown, with rising unemployment and fewer job opportunities, puts more people at risk of poverty and social exclusion and worsens the position of those already affected".
"However, similar figures on poverty in the US reach 23%, so the difference of 8% can be defined as the effect of the European social policy," noted Commissioner Spidla.
The European Commission is expected to unveil the mid-term review of the Lisbon agenda on 2 February, followed by the presentation of its new Social agenda for the next five years.
With these geniuses in control, we're not going to have to worry about them for a long time.
Since all bad things that happen in the world are caused by Bush's America, shouldn't George Bush be blamed for the sluggish EU economy?
There's a difference between our socialists and these guys. People like Hillary, Obama, and Ted are fully aware it's all a scam and are just there to steal as much as they can before cashing out. These Eurotwits, on the other hand, are so entrenched in their wankerstocracy that they actually believe what they're saying. Now that's scary!
I'd be willing to bet it's a difference in how we DEFINE "poverty", rather than a substantial difference in policy impact. The top of that 23% has a higher average income than the median European does. In fact, the last time I looked... the cutoff for our "bottom 10%" was awfully close to Europe's median income levels - but that was before the Dollar took a little slide.
Just read a little bit...
No. 1?
No concept lies more firmly embedded in our national character than the notion that the USA is "No. 1," "the greatest."
http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2005-01-21/cols_ventura.html
Dream On America
The U.S. Model: For years, much of the world did aspire to the American way of life. But today countries are finding more appealing systems in their own backyards.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6857387/site/newsweek
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6857303/site/newsweek
I don't know. By US definitions our poverty rate is only about 12-13%. I assume that they're applying a Euro poverty standard to the U.S. in the 23% estimate.
Of course how "poverty" is defined makes all the difference. If it's defined around sheer income or home ownership or living space that favors the US. If it's defined substantially around how much health care you get, it might favor Europe. I don't really know.
The EuroWeasel doesn't even use the word "poverty". His phrasing is "risk of poverty", which is vague enough and subjective enough to deprive his statement of any real meaning. Classic bureaucratic doublespeak.
They have a NEW Five Year Pl... Ooops. My bad. They have a NEW Lisbon plan!!
Since they can't create jobs, they're going to have everyone start their own businesses!! WHAT A GROUP OF GUYS!
Course, they create fewer business than they do jobs, but why quibble.
LONG LIVE THE FIVE YEAR PLAN COMRADES!!
See yas in 3 years!!
Godspeed :)
Hmmm. Would this be "Old Europe?"
See, even they know that Rummy was right!!
US model is working, its evident in our growth, GDP, manufacurting jobs, and technology. Which europe has FAILED to compete with.
Chinese? lol, the chinese wont even allow their currency to flucuate on the world markets. Their exceeded growth will burst soon enough. The american economy is far far more stable than that of china's or europe's. We have our good years and bad years, but it still rises. The same cant be said for the EU.
LOL?
Oh yes, because everbody believes in the US market the Dollar is at 1.30 to the Euro.
The High Euro is killing the EU export based economy. The ECB even admitted that. You know little of macro-economics to correlate the low dollar with economic status.
It is comic that the article say it is looking to S Africa as a model.
Socialism never works, and the Euros will find this out the hard way. By the time they do it will be perhaps too late.
On the other hand, the EU could see a wave of conservatixm of sort sweep over it in 15 years from now.\
The article you link to is pure socialist propaganda.
It is funny also that they use AIrbux as a model. Airbuss seems to have become and almost religious totem in the EU. If it does indeed fail then it will be a signal that the midel may change.
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