REGIONAL COOPERATION AND ECONOMIC INTEGRATION

Dr Márta Zádor, PhD
Deputy General Director
Dr Tamás Gáspár, PhD
Senior Research Fellow
ECOSTAT KSKI
REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS AND REGIONAL COOPERATION
Performance and Enlargement in Post-Lisbon Strategy
(A new approach)
Abstract
The Lisbon Strategy is facing fundamental challenges in the coming years. On the one hand
it has to find the way how to develop a knowledge based economy of high competitiveness
on the wide interpretation of sustainability. On the other hand the Lisbon process should
count with the further enlargement of the integration. The sustainability and enlargement
processes demand new approach in quantification of the performance of the member
states as well as that of the candidate countries. Our suggestion is the development of an
indicator from international rankings (Relative Total Performance) that both expresses
the different interpretations of sustainability with much background information as well as
gives an opportunity for a comprehensive comparison of different countries.
Key words: Lisbon Strategy, enlargement, sustainable development, international
rankings
INTRODUCTION
Two important processes mark the following period of the European Union. The Lisbon
Strategy has changed a lot during its nine years but remained the fundamental reform
programme of the Union. Now it is facing its next stage from 2010 and it is searching the
main pillars and priorities of a strategy that enables the European integration to face the
21 st century. One core element of the renewal is the challenge to synthesise growth and
employment with sustainable development.
On the other hand the Union continues the enlargement strategy. On the 5 November
2008 the European Commission has divulged the Enlargement Package 2008 including
the current extension strategy on the one hand and the annual reports on the candidate
and potential candidate countries. On the whole the documents try for highlighting the
possibilities, advantages and the stabilisation power which opened up by the enlargement.
Moreover they point out the necessary steps to proceed forward. In his report Olli Rehn,
Enlargement Commissioner reckoned that important steps can be taken in 2009, primarily
in the case of Western Balkans as far as enlargement is concerned.
As a communication from the Commission the document entitled ‘Enlargement Strategy
and Main Challenges 2008-2009’contains the present challenges in terms of enlargement
on the one hand and some fundamental elements of the enlargement strategy on the other
hand. Moreover it summarises consequences by the events of the recent period as well
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