EU: Brussels thinks about after 2010

Go on with structural reforms and more. Structural reforms are more topical than ever. The lack of credits is going to push businesses to look for flexibility elsewhere explained European Commissioner for Economic Affairs Joaquim Almunia during the last economic forum ten days ago in Brussels. He thinks the context imposes “quicker structural reforms” to breathe new dynamism into businesses. And there’s more. Other observers say it is now time to launch the Lisbon Strategy 2. Indeed, the global financial crisis changes the premises according to which the EU should catch up with the US. Now, the EU has more than one competitor. Likewise, on the eve of a conference on the subject, the European Political Center, a think tank in Brussels, points out that the British model is weakened by the crisis compared with a French model which used to be pilloried but is now more protective. The think tank says reforms must continue but the method should be changed. The exchange of good practices or the implementation of guidelines – called open coordination method, main tool of the Lisbon Strategy – weren’t persuasive.