“Now’s the time to go into top gear”: that’s the motto with which the President of the European Commission, Josè Manuel Barroso, chose to accompany the presentation in Brussels of the Annual Report on progress made in the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy, published on 25 January. The report contains three fundamental elements: an analysis of the 25 national programmes of reforms drawn up by the member states in October 2005; a presentation of the positive aspects of the individual programmes for the exchange of ideas and good practices; and a presentation of the shortcomings ascertained by the Executive in each individual programme together with proposed solutions and “concrete actions at the EU and national levels”. Barroso also enunciated the “four sectors of priority action” on which the Commission will ask the European Council in the spring to make a formal commitment to accelerate the reforms: investing in education and research; eliminating red tape for small and medium businesses and freeing up business potential; increasing the working population; and guaranteeing the efficient, safe and sustainable supply of energy. http://europa.eu.int/growthandjobs/index_en.htm
