Belka, Marek

Rasmussen, Anders Fogh

Policy Documentation Center

Joint article by Mr. Marek Belka, Prime Minister of Poland and Mr. Anders Fogh 
Rasmussen, Prime Minister od Denmark 
 
Unofficial translation 
4.11.2004. 
  
Joint article by Mr. Marek Belka, Prime Minister of Poland  
and Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark. 
 
 
Four years ago the European Council adopted the Lisbon Strategy - the most 
important social and economic programme of the European Union. Its overall goal is 
to turn Europe into the world’s most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based 
economy by the year 2010. We are now fast approaching the halfway mark and the 
midterm review of the strategy. 
The accession of ten new member states has created a new situation for Europe. In our 
opinion it is an opportunity for the European Union which, if used properly, can give 
the Lisbon Strategy a greater momentum, as the whole Union can take advantage of 
the enormous human resources and economic potential of the new members. 
Today, the Lisbon Strategy is overloaded with well-intended thematic reports with the 
result of an almost non-existing national debate. Overview and focus on the essential 
is lost, and so is the communication with those that should carry through the reforms. 
Only few know what the Lisbon Strategy is all about. Our main challenge today is 
how do we make the Strategy more efficient and more relevant for the way we 
actually handle reforms nationally. 
Our answer is that we should on the one hand tailor the handling of the Lisbon 
strategy towards national development with easily understandable goals and 
recommendations, and on the other hand strengthen the Community’s role in ensuring 
coherence and progress. 
Based on national recommendations by the Commission, each Member State should 
draw up a single report – some would say a policy strategy – on how to progress 
towards growth and employment in the years to come, and how progress has been 
achieved so far. Moreover, it must be stressed that when the Commission evaluate 
progress, it should focus on the relative progress made by Member States. That would 
make it more rewarding for those that have a long way to go with reforms, but are 
making tremendous efforts. 
Reorienting the focus of the Lisbon-Strategy to each Member States’ specific 
situation would enhance parliamentary and societal debate. Creating a strong sense of 
national ownership behind the common reform strategy is essential for success. 
Reorienting focus towards national reforms is not to say that we do not have common 
challenges. We do: Structural reforms, an ageing population, how to develop an 
advanced knowledge based society, how to manage reforms. These are common 
central challenges that should be the focus for discussion among heads of State and 
Government. 
We also believe that Europe must take advantage of the midterm review and take 
concrete, determined and forward-looking initiatives especially with regard to 
research, innovation and education. We should orient our strengthened European 
efforts in research and development towards the creation of an internal market for 
knowledge. An internal market for knowledge would provide the necessary 
framework to provide direction for many of the existing activities and proposals to 
come in the field of research, innovation and education. An internal market for 
knowledge is an important step in achieving the overall goal of becoming the most 
dynamic knowledge society in the World. And would in turn stimulate growth and 
employment in all 25 Member States. 
In our future efforts we should focus on stimulating competition among researchers 
and research institutions and removing barriers to mobility, and at the same time 
strengthen European research co-operation. One of the areas where strengthened co-
operation could result in added value is basic research. Establishing a European basic 
research fund under a supervision of an European Research Council should enable the 
best researchers and research teams to carry out their work at the highest level. 
Basic research has traditionally been a national domain and therefore has not allowed 
for sufficient competition and collaboration at European level. It is important to 
promote Europe to a leading position in those fields of research where the European 
science is particularly competent or where promising scientific developments 
substantiate it. Scientists from all Member States should have equal access to benefit 
from the research carried out. Research teams funded by the European Research 
Council should make every effort to offer training of scientists from all parts of the 
Union and ensure the dissemination of research results to academia and industry. This 
would lead to the improvement of the competitiveness of the EU and at the same time 
diminish the technological difference between old and new member states. 
Secondly, the rules of participation in the Research Framework Programmes should 
be simplified and made more flexible. This would not only attract large and 
established research teams, but also emerging ones, as well as industrial entities, 
especially SMEs. Moreover one of the overall goals of the Programme should be the 
meaningful integration of the research environments of the enlarged Union. This 
would enable the effective use of the new member states’ research potential. 
Research, innovation and education are important areas of the Lisbon Strategy that 
will have decisive impact on rapid improvement of the European Union’s 
competitiveness. They are key to European growth, prosperity and new and better 
jobs. 
Thirdly, mobilising human resources is crucial for the future status of research in 
Europe and their ability to match colleagues from the US and Asia. In this respect 
more people should be attracted to start careers in science. The 7
th
 Framework 
Programme should therefore allocate e.g. extra funding to more PhD fellowships 
especially within areas, which would help to promote innovation and industrial 
applications. This funding should be equally accessible for researchers from old and 
new member states. In addition to this, a special scheme for young scientists from the 
new member states could be created.  
The traditionally high standards of education and dynamism of young researchers 
from the new member states can provide a unique opportunity for the EU if we 
remove barriers to mobility across national borders. Efforts should be undertaken at 
the EU level to remove these obstacles in such a way as not to discriminate 
researchers from the new member states. The goal is joint and simple: more and better 
qualified researchers for the whole of Europe. 
We are determined in our belief that in the longer-term enlargement will improve 
European growth and employment. Europe must take advantage of the mid-term 
review to revitalize and refocus the Lisbon strategy. We fully believe that the new 
President of the Commission will make full use of his powers to take Europe forward. 
Marek Belka Prime - Minister of Poland Anders Fogh Rasmussen - Prime Minister of 
Denmark  
 


Joint article by Mr. Marek Belka, Prime Minister of Poland and Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark on the Lisbon Strategy

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