RELEVANCE OF LISBON AGENDA

1

RELEVANCE OF LISBON AGENDA AND EDUCATION FOR
WESTERN BALKANS COUNTRIES
Višnja Samardžija, PhD Institute for
International Relations Zagreb, 2007.
2
Content of presentation

• The revised Lisbon Strategy
• Goals, priorities, achievments
• Instruments and activities
• Education goals of Lisbon
• How are the WB countries prepared to approach
  Lisbon strategy goals?
• Strategic documents
• Institutional aspects
• Implementing mechanisms
• Benchmarking

3
The Lisbon Strategy starting points

• The Lisbon goals
• Lisbon European Council, 2000 to become the
  most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based
  economy in the world by 2010, capable of
  sustainable economic growth with more and better
  jobs and greater social cohesion
• The redefined Lisbon strategy
• Working together for growth and jobs A new
  start for the Lisbon Strategy (March 2005)

4
Priorities revised Lisbon
1. Making Europe a more attractive place to invest and work 1. Extend and deepen the internal market 2. Ensure open and competitive markets inside and outside Europe 3. Improve European and national regulation 4. Expand and improve European infrastructure
2. Knowledge and innovations as driwing forces of growth 5. Increase and improve investment in Research and Development 6. Facilitate innovation, the uptake of ICT and the sustainable use of resources 7. Contribute to a strong European industrial base
3. Creating more and better jobs 8. Attract more people into employment and modernise social protection systems 9. Improve the adaptability of workers and enterprises and the flexibility of labour markets 10. Invest more in human capital through better education and skills.
5
Lisbon priority areas for action

• European Spring Council, 2006
• Investing more in knowledge and innovation
• Unlocking business potential, especially of SMEs
• Getting people into work
• Efficient, secure and sustainable energy

6
1. Investing more in knowledge and innovation

• Promote polices and actions aiming to achiev 3
  objective for RD spending by 2010
• Adopt FP7 and CIP Programme
• Establish European Research Council aimed at
  raising excellence of the best research teams
• Create single, competitive and open European
  labour market for researchers
• Develop a broad-based information strategy for
  Europe that translates investment in knowledge
  into products and services
• Develop a comprehensive Lifelong Learning
  strategies (MS) and EU Lifelong Learning
  Programme 2007-2013
• Facilitate universities access to complementary
  sources of funding
• Develop managerial skill and competencies for the
  people involved to transfer the research results
  to business community

7
2. Unlocking business potential, especially of
SMEs

• Develop national strategies to foster
  competitiveness, innovation and productivity
• Explore options for establishing measurable
  targets in specific sectors for reducing
  administrative burdens by 2006
• Establish by the end of 2007 a one-stop-shop or
  arrangements with equivalent effect
• Reduce the average time for setting up a
  business, especially an SME, with objective of
  being able to do this within one week anywhere in
  the EU by the end of 2007
• recruitment of a first employee should not
  involve more than one public administration
  point.

8
3. Getting people into work

• Reduce unemployment, adopt a real lifecycle
  approach to employment by
• reducing early school leaving for 10 by 2010
• 85 of 22 years old should have completed upper
  secondary education
• offering job to every young person who has left
  school / university or additional training within
  six months of becoming unemployed by the end of
  2007, and within 4 months by 2010
• implementing policies to promote womens
  employment approved the European Pact for Gender
  Equality
• increasing availability of quality childcare in
  line with MS own national targets
• implementing active ageing strategies, incentives
  for prolonging working lives, gradual retirement,
  use of part-time work and improvements to the
  working environment
• pursuing reforms by MSs in labour market and
  social policies
• establishing the European Globalisation
  Adjustment Fund (1 January 2007)

9
Obligations of the EU and member states

• EU
• Community Lisbon Programme
• New Integrated guidelines for growth and
  employment
• Annual Progress report
• Coordination of implementation
• Member states
• National Reform Programmes (NRPs)
• National Lisbon coordinators
• Implementation!!!

10
Stronger implementing mechanisms?

• Integrated guidelines for growth and employment
• Macroeconomic
• Microeconomic
• Employment guidelines
• Open method of coordination (OMC)
• Soft approach - evaluation, monitoring, reporting
• Exchange of best practice instruments
• Peer reviews
• Quantitative and qualitative indicators
• benchmarks, scoreboards
• Process of mutual learning aiming to develop
  coherent policies
• Competitiveness reports, or composite indicators
  on knowledge society in areas such as RD and
  human capital

11
The framework of indicators and benhmarks for
monitoring

• Improving quality of education and training
• Promoting efficiency in education and training
• Making lifelong learnig a reality
• Key competences among young people
• Modernising school education, vocational
  education and training
• Modernising higher education (Bologna process)
• Employability !!!

12
Convergence towards common EU goals

• Strategy
• Policy
• Action Plan
• Capacity
• Legal framework
• Human capital
• Physical capital
• Equipment/infrastr.
• expenditure

• Commitment to reforms
• Adopting Lisbon instruments
• Measures, deadlines, implementing bodies
• Social dialogue, partnership
• Implementation!

13
Lisbon strategy and candidates

• Barcelona Summit (2002)
• Lisbon Strategy incentive for candidates to
  implement objectives as a two-way learning
  process
• Western Balkans
• Lisbon objectives do not constitute additional
  criteria
• ...but, Lisbon objectives reflected in EU
  policies towards region in areas that can be
  considered priorities under European/Accession
  Partnerships
• Lisbon strategy priorities should be differently
  interpreted by each country (considering level of
  development, individual stage of rapprochement to
  EU)
• Implemenation of Lisbon goals complementary to
  fulfilment of Copenhagen criteria

14
Implementation of revised Lisbon strategy ... and
candidates
European Commission European
Council Eur. Parliament EESC Comm.of Regions Soc.
partners
REVISED LISBON STRATEGY
Member States (25)

But...EU policies towards WB region reflect
Lisbon activities that can be considered as
priorities under European/Accession Partnerships
Lisbon objectives are not additional EU criteria!

Candidate countries ... WB countries
Implemenating Lisbon goals - complementary to
fulfilling Copenhagen criteria
15
Croatia (towards) implementing Lisbon goals

• Croatia does not have a coherent Lisbon Action
  Plan
• Some of the aims and activities leading to its
  implementation introduced in different strategic
  documents
• Strategic Development Framework (2006-13) adopted
• National Programme for Integration into EU
  (anually)
• Science and Technology Policy 2006-10
• 55 Recommendations for Raising Croatias
  Competitiveness
• Programme of Incentives for SME (2004-08)
  Operative plan (2006)
• Croatian Programme for Innovative Technological
  Development
• National Strategy for Development of Intellectual
  Property (2005-10)
• ... other
• Existing documents cover only partly Lisbon
  agenda
• Need for development operational action
  plan/plans for implementing Lisbon goals
• targets, instruments, dealines, responsibilities

16
Benchmarks

• Indicators only partly registered by national
  statistics bureaus
• Need to further develop system of collecting and
  monitoring qualitative and quantitative
  indicators
• Example
• Innovation benchmark - rather weak and
  underdeveloped area, lack of resources (financial
  support, man-power, premises)
• Activities in progress preparations for
  participation in EU benchmark programmes and
  system of monitoring indicators (EU benchmark
  programmes for innovation)
• Support from the PHARE programme

17
Ranking and Scores of Potential EU Member
Countires
Source World Economic Forum. The Lisbon Review
2006. Measuring Europes Progress in Reform.
18
RD investing more in knowledge and innovation

• Need to increase the overall RD investment (EU
  goal 3 of GDP by 2010, of which 2/3 from private
  sector)
• Developing Action Plan for increasing RD
  expenditure
• identify RD targeted level of expenditure for
  RD (eg. Croatia 2 in 2010, share 11)
• develop overall strategy to achieve targets,
  coordinated measures, actions, monitoring
  mechanisms
• Expenditure on RD low
• Croatia 1,28 of GDP (EU average 1.9)
• targeted share public/private sector 12
• Need to participate in the OMC in favor of the 3
  objective (CREST)
• Innovation - positive (but limited) results
  achieved
• HITRA, Croatian Programme for Innovative
  Technological Development
• should be coordinated with measures involving all
  the components of the National Innovation System
  (NIS)

19
Completion of upper secondary education of
population (20-24) that have completed
educationEuropean Benchmark 85
Source Eurostat (Labour Force Survey) Progress
towards the Lisbon Objectives in Education and
Training Report 2006, 16.05.2006.
20
Number of tertiary graduates in MST (mathematics
and technical studies) per 1000 inhabitants, aged
20-29 European Benchmark ? 15(Ireland, France,
UK)
Croatia 5,4
Source Eurostat Progress towards the Lisbon
Objectives in Education and Training Report
2006, 16.05.2006.
21
Total public expenditure on education ( GDP,
2000 - 2002)
Izvor Eurostat Progress towards the Lisbon
Objectives in Education and Training Report
2006, 16.05.2006
Croatia Present expenditure 4.4 Target 4.9
22
Expenditure for education from private
sources(GDP, 2000 - 2002)
Source Eurostat Progress towards the Lisbon
Objectives in Education and Training Report
2006, 16.05.2006.
23
Expenditure in education sector - WB countries

• Education sector in WB countries reflects
  handicap of small economies in achieving
  economies of scale
• Smallest economies have the highest levels of
  expenditure in education (Kosovo 5.7 of GDP,
  Montenegro 5, others 3)
• the trend is revised when considering results
  attainded!
• Enrolment ratios all WB countries present
  similar level in primary and secondary enrolment
  ration, the largest countries show the highest
  level in tertiary education (50 Serbia, 13.6
  Montenegro, Croatia)

24
All enrolments in higher education, independent
of age, as a percentage of 20-24 year old in
population(Poland, Baltics, Slovenia
strongest growth)
Izvor Eurostat Progress towards the Lisbon
Objectives in Education and Training Report
2006, 16.05.2006
25
Participation in vocational stream of upper
secondary education,( of pupils in upper
secondary education enrolled in vocational
stream)
Source Eurostat Progress towards the Lisbon
Objectives in Education and Training Report
2006, 16.05.2006.
26
Strengthening competitiveness unlocking business
potential (SMEs)

• Example of CROATIA
• Introducing one-stop-shop concept
• HITRO.HR service
• shortening the duration procedure of establishing
  a company (six days)
• HITRORez
• Web page Business Navigator (June 2006)
• Competitiveness barometer (NCC, 2006)

27
Business Navigator, Croatia
28
Global competitiveness index

• Global Competitiveness Report (GCR)
• Croatia included in 2002
• International Economic Forum
• Davos NVK
• benchmarking
• Comparison with 104 world countries
• Position of Croatia, GCR 2006/07
• ? competitiveness growth index 51/104 (64 in
  2005, behind new MS, but better than Bulgaria,
  Romania, Turkey)
• ? business competitiveness index 56 instead of
  65
• Imperative to increase competitiveness!

29
Lessons for WB countries

• Lisbon strategy is not obligatory for candidate
• voluntary adoption of good practice
• Identification of own priorities
• respecting national and regional differences,
  defining specific, individual goals
• Negotiations on EU membership
• prioritisation of the Lisbon strategy goals in
  defferent area (RD)
• participation in implementig mechanism (OMC)
• Adopting best practice of new MS (National Reform
  Programmes)
• Croatia best positioned as compared with EU
  candidates
• transfer the knowledge to WBc

30
Conclusions

• Lisbon strategy goals remain the main reform
  framework for EU, relevant for WBc
• Raising awareness and understanding on Lisbon
  goals and implementation mechanisms during
  accession process necessary
• Prioritisation and seequencing goals according
  individual situation and needs
• Development of the system of collecting and
  monitoring qualitative and quantitative
  indicators necessary, corresponding to structural
  indicators (EUROSTAT)
• Adopting best practice
• Lisbon Action Plans not dseveloped in the region,
  
• mix of policies exist that work in the same
  direction. But, they are neither fully coherent
  nor coordinated
• Imited progress made, stronger efforts needed