Press Release: Commission launches ambitious Growth and Jobs strategy for the EU

The European Commission on 2 February 2005 presented a new strategy for the EU to create more growth and jobs. The strategy aimed to revitalise the so-called Lisbon Agenda - the EU's economic reform agenda from 2000. The actions proposed by the European Commission on 2 February 2005 could boost GDP by 3% by 2010 and create over 6 million jobs. There was a compelling case for urgent action. Five years after its launch, the Lisbon Strategy was not on track to deliver the expected results. To preserve the EU's model of sustainable development for the future, the competitiveness of the Union needed to be strengthened, its economy needed to be dynamised. The Commission set out a concrete action programme for the EU and its Member States to generate sustained economic growth and more and better jobs. It called on Member States to launch a new EU partnership for growth and jobs at the Spring European Council (22/23 March 2005).

European Commission: Key issues: Growth and jobs http://www.europa.eu.int/growthandjobs/index_en.htm

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