Press Release
Jean-Claude Juncker met with representatives of industrial, social and environmental organisations

Date of release : 10-02-2005

Policy area : Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs

In the framework of the consultations of the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the mid-term review of the Lisbon Strategy, Jean-Claude Juncker, the Prime Minister and President in Office of the European Council, met successively with representatives of the European Round Table of Industrialists, the Platform of European Social NGOs and the European Environmental Bureau on Thursday, 10 February 2005.

These meetings, which took place at the request of Jean-Claude Juncker, focussed on the mid-term review of the Lisbon Strategy, on which a decision will be made during the meeting of the European Council in Brussels on 22 and 23 March 2005.

The President in Office of the European Council heard the proposals and suggestions of these three organisations, each of which represents one of the elements to be addressed in the mid-term review, that is, competitiveness and employment, social policy and environmental policy.

The meeting with the European Round Table of Industrialists focussed, naturally, on improving the competitiveness of the European economy, especially in the areas of cutting-edge technology, which is one of the priority areas of action in the mid-term review of the Lisbon Strategy. The Prime Minister also was able to obtain a clear picture of the problems facing industry regarding funds available for research and development, especially in the pharmaceutical industry and in the information technology sector.

The representatives of the Platform of European Social NGOs informed the President of the European Council of their concerns regarding the communication of the European Commission on the mid-term review of the Lisbon Strategy, which they consider to be unsatisfactory from a social point of view, and particularly in consideration of the priorities to be placed on the fight for social inclusion.

The representatives of the European Environmental Bureau presented to the Luxembourg Presidency their requirements on the subject of environmental policy, which they consider to be directly related to the competitiveness of the European economy, as the European Council confirmed in Gothenburg in June 2001 in its chapter entitled "Strategy for Sustainable Development".

For Jean-Claude Juncker, it should be clear that the basic balance (competitiveness, social policy, environmental policy) of the Lisbon Strategy "must be preserved." Although the most urgent problem is "increasing the potential for growth" of the European Union through refocusing the Lisbon Strategy, especially in favour of the economic sectors with a strong potential for growth, the Presidency has no intention whatsoever of abandoning the social and environmental aspects of the Lisbon Strategy.

"Economic growth is not an end unto itself," said Jean-Claude Juncker, "it is rather the guarantee for maintaining the European social and environmental model", and this will certainly be reflected in the conclusions of the European Council of 22 and 23 March 2005."

Jean-Claude Juncker insisted that there is no automatic connection between economic growth and social cohesion, but that the latter belongs to the political will of the national governments.

For this reason, the Presidency supports the idea of making governments, parliaments and social partners in the different Member States responsible for incorporating the Lisbon Strategy into national action plans.     

In order to optimise the impact of the mid-term review of the Lisbon Strategy, the Presidency intends to work towards the coherent integration of different processes governing the three areas of action mentioned and to prevent countless reports from being submitted for deliberation to the Heads of State and Government without there being any concrete effects.