Irish Regions Office Website

April 28, 2008

Better regional input needed to future National Reform Programme

Three year National Reform Programmes (NRP) setting out the measures to be taken to improve competitive economic performance were formulated in 2005 as part of the relaunch of the Lisbon Agenda and its refocusing on growth and jobs. Programmes were based upon an agreed set of guidelines, covering macro-economic, micro-economic and employment policies. Ireland’s Lisbon programme has since put in place a range of measures to support R&D, to address infrastructure deficits and to provide training and lifelong learning opportunities across the economy. With the forthcoming second generation of NRPs in mind, the European Council at its recent summit has pointedly acknowledged that "increased ownership of the growth and jobs agenda at all levels of government will lead to more coherent and effective policymaking". This recognition of the (potential) role of the local and regional level in delivering growth and a buoyant jobs market "invites the Commission and Member States to strengthen the involvement of relevant stakeholders in the Lisbon process " - setting out a vision whereby sub-national input and perspectives as well as those of economic and social actors should be more fully incorporated. This is a further emphasis upon the importance of territorial cohesion alongside its economic and social counterparts and is of importance to Ireland as the negotiation of the original NRP took place almost entirely within the social partnership process and has been explicitly tied in with ensuring the full implementation of the Towards 2016 agreement. The Council also "welcomes the progress made in targeting cohesion funds in support of national reform programmes" and calls on Member States "to ensure that expenditure reflects the earmarking commitments made". Further details from www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/ec/99410.pdf

Posted by iroronan at April 28, 2008 08:10 PM