Joint Interparliamentary Meeting, 8-9 November 2010 - 'Beyond the Crisis: How Should Europe Respond to the Challenges Ahead'

Estudo 14-01-2011

Working Group 1: What kind of growth and jobs for the europe of tomorrow? This briefing note provides an introduction to the priorities of Europe 2020, the new strategic policy framework the European Union has set itself for the next ten years, and attempts at highlighting the way the current economic context has impacted on the design of the strategy. It subsequently stresses the implications of such choices for the labour market and employment policies. An overview of the role of structural and cohesion policies in recession and current recovery is also given. The note stresses how an active role of the European Parliament and national parliaments in Europe 2020 could be key to improving the effectiveness of the strategy's implementation. Finally, the reform will be as successful as it is able to stimulate the EU's external trade. Working Group 2: What kind of economic governance? This briefing note briefly reviews the developments of the financial and economic crisis both in the EU27 as well as specifically in the euro area. Furthermore, the note defines the much used term "economic governance" and classifies it according to degrees of policy coordination. The main part of the note presents and reviews the central elements of the recent European Commission legal proposals to reform economic governance in the EU, which are then evaluated within an outlook to the future. The note identifies elements that may be missing within or beyond the proposals. Finally, the European Semester for policy coordination is explained, and suggestions are made as to how the European Parliament and National Parliaments could be involved in the process of economic governance in the EU in this context. Working Group 3: How to complete europe’s single market? This note provides a brief overview of the most important recent Commission communications and resolutions of the European Parliament on the single market and comprehensive strategies to deepen single market integration, to