Dieses Papier des European Policy Centre (EPC)
präsentiert zehn Ratschläge zur Ankurbelung des
Wachstums in Europa ohne hierbei die in der
Lissabon-Agenda zentralen Ziele der Beschäftigung, des
sozialen Zusammenhalts und der Nachhaltigkeit zu
vernachlässigen.
Economic growth is not an end in itself.
Rather, economic growth is there to serve a
greater ambition: the creation and maintenance
of a vibrant, socially inclusive and
environmentally sustainable European
society. Economic growth is a means to
these wider ends.
The challenge, then, of boosting the growth
rates of the European Union is part and parcel
of the challenge of creating the necessary
balance between economic prosperity, social
justice, the development of intellectual
capital and respect for our shared environment.
Without higher growth rates in the European
Union, none of these aspirations will be
realised. Much, therefore, is at stake.
In this, the interim report of the
EPC’s Task Force on the European Growth
Initiative, we underline that there is much
that the European Union should be proud of. We
reject the pessimism, which often governs much
public discussion in the European Union.
Yet the successes of the European economy
cannot disguise persistent shortcomings. The
total employment rate in the EU still lags
almost 10% behind the proportion of the US
labour market engaged in work. The EU would
have to employ almost 17 million more people to
close this gap. Productivity in the EU has
stagnated in recent years, now at almost 20%
lower per employed person than in the US.
These are the main reasons why, today, US GDP
per capita is more than 30% higher in the
US than in the EU. Add to this the low
fertility rates in the EU, and the impending
explosion in the retired population in Europe,
and the reasons why urgent action is required
to boost EU economic growth becomes self
evident.
The EU is not starting from scratch, given
the already successful launch of the internal
market, the introduction of the euro and the
enlargement eastwards Both the Lisbon agenda
and the Sustainable Development strategy are
precise and adequate tools, which set out the
route towards stronger, sustainable growth. But
far more political commitment is needed to turn
the potential for strong EU recovery into
reality.
Our Interim Report takes the novel form of a
list of 10 “Do-s and Don’t-s”
which we address to all decision makers in the
European Union. The intention is not to provide
yet another exhaustive analysis of the policy
remedies required. Rather, our list of 10
points is designed to highlight some of the
most crucial aspects of the process of economic
reform in the European Union.
In drafting this interim report, we based
our analysis on a number of underlying
assertions:
- That a careful balance must be maintained
between the role of the European Union itself
and the duties and responsibilities of the
Member States. A failure by Member States to
implement commitments made at EU level is a
persistent shortcoming in the pursuit of
greater economic growth and competitiveness.
On the other hand, the freedom of Member
States to compete and exploit national
advantages must not be threatened by
excessive harmonization at EU
level. - That, in an enlarged EU with greater
political and commercial diversity, new EU
regulation must be ever more intelligently
crafted in order to be effective. This is
especially so in view of the EU’s recent
enlargement to twenty-five members.
Regulation which provides incentives for
individuals and companies alike to operate on
a level playing field is most likely to
succeed. - That raising productivity and increasing
job creation should go hand in hand. At
present, high productivity levels are often
accompanied by low employment rates, and
higher employment rates by low productivity.
Such a choice is not inevitable, and there
are good examples in the EU of economies that
possess both high levels of employment and
impressive productivity levels. A relentless
emphasis on innovation, intellectual capital
and the fostering of dynamic, new economic
sectors is needed. - That job security and labour market
flexibility must also go hand in hand. The
assumption that one opposes the other is
false. Job security for those in work by
excluding those out of work is unacceptable.
Lowering barriers for those wishing to enter
the labour market does not necessitate the
lowering of generous social security support,
as long as that support does not act as a
disincentive to seeking
employment.
Each of the assertions in our list is
supported by short explanatory and statistical
annexes. Since a new European Parliament has
recently taken office, and a new College of
European Commissioners is due to be installed,
the principal purpose of this interim report is
to act as a wake up call to policy makers
everywhere. The members of the EPC Task Force
are drawn not only from the corporate world,
but also from labour and environmental
organisations. The claim, therefore, that this
group represents an important spread of opinion
from both the private sector and civil society
is fully borne out in the work of the
group.
Subject to the responses we receive from
this interim paper, we will explore specific
issues related to the challenge of boosting
European economic growth for our final report,
timed to coincide with the final report on the
implementation of the Lisbon strategy in the
spring of 2005.
In the meantime, we hope that this paper
provokes discussion, and helps foster an
environment in which active policy reform can
take place throughout the European Union.
To read the full paper by
Nick Clegg
from the
European Policy Centre (EPC)
, please
click here
.