"Turkey and the EU: How to achieve a forward-looking and 'win-win' accession by 2015?
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Analysis, Part II
MEHMET OGUTCU
PARIS - TDN Guest Writer
European governments' goal adopted at the EU Lisbon conference in March 2000 to make the EU 'the world's most dynamic and competitive economy within ten years' remains an illusion, seen today as largely empty and unattainable. Thus, the Lisbon strategy has been considerably revised to bring it down to earth (for further details see: The Lisbon Review 2004: an assessment of policies and reforms in Europe, World Economic Forum, http://www.weforum.org/pdf/Gcr/LisbonReview/Lisbon_Review_2004.pdf) as it became clear that most European governments are increasingly unable to engage in fundamental reforms -- their citizens are less interested in being better off than other nations and more concerned with simply living well. Protests against attempts to reform labor markets and health care systems in Germany and other European countries are illustrative of this situation. How then can we expect the agenda for 'growth and employment' be effectively implemented? "
More:Turkish Daily News - Turkey and the EU: How to achieve a forward-looking and 'win-win' accession by 2015?