What is the link with the Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs?
The Recovery Plan is an extensive reinforcement of the Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs in both the short and longer-term. It is a comprehensive response to the current crisis, with measures to boost demand and protect citizens from unemployment complemented by measures to step up investment in strategic areas where jobs can be created now and which will also contribute to Europe’s competitiveness and sustainable prosperity in the long-term. This investment further reinforces the Lisbon Strategy’s emphasis on increasing investment in research and development and innovation making Europe’s economy knowledge-based. What is more the Recovery Plan builds on the success of the Lisbon Strategy in reinforcing Europe’s underlying competitiveness before this crisis. For example, the budgetary room for manoeuvre enjoyed by many Member States is partly a result of having implemented Lisbon measures – in this way, the euro area overall government deficit fell from nearly 3% in 2004 to 0.6% in 2
