“Spring European Council” in Barcelona from 15 to 16 March: first summit of the heads of state and of government of the EU under the Spanish Presidency. The meeting will be dedicated to economic, social and environmental questions, following the path laid down by the Lisbon Strategy in 1999. So, apart from Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers, the Council will also be attended by the economic and financial ministers. According to José Maria Aznar, head of the Spanish government, the summit “represents an opportunity to give a new impulse to the European agenda of reforms”. In particular, the priorities round which the three sessions of work will revolve are five: interconnection and opening up of the European transport network; interconnection and liberalization of the electricity and gas markets; integration of the financial markets with the aim of turning Europe into a real financial power; development of a more flexible labour market able to create new jobs; and further improvements in the education and training of European students and workers and growth of their mobility.
