EU receives first national economic reform plans

Nine out of 25 European capitals have handed in ‘national reform plans’ aimed at boosting economic growth into Brussels.

The national programmes are a key part of the EU’s re-branded economic strategy, now to be known as the “partnership of jobs and growth”.

Britain, Finland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, Spain, Estonia and the Netherlands have set up plans detailing how they will introduce structural reforms and increase economic growth.

The latest Brussels thinking is that national plans will be more effective that the EU-wide targets set, and widely ignored, at a summit in Lisbon five years ago.

Other national reform plans are due into the European Commission in the next “hours or days” – with the exceptions of Germany and Poland where new governments are being formed.

“We expect to see most of the reform plans by the end of October,” said a commission spokesman.

“We are sure once the German and Polish governments are in place they will place the highest importance on these reform plans.”

The issue of economic reform was the critical political flash point in Germany’s recent elections and the Berlin blueprint, for the EU’s largest economy, will be eagerly awaited.

National plans are set to be 30 to 40 pages long and set out “very concisely” plans to raise economic growth.

Günter Verheugen will then publish a Brussels assessment of all the EU’s 25 national plans early next year.

The European Commission vice-president is relying on peer and public pressure to hold national capitals to their promises.

“We have no basis to question the commitment of member states to deliver on national reform plans,” said a spokesman.

“The European Commission does not have a big stick in order to hit different heads of state with. But we do have soft power, of increasing transparency.”

“Without having to name and shame, I think it will become pretty clear when the commission publishes its assessment at the end of January just who is doing the job and who is not.”

The commission is hoping to publish the national reform plans online but as yet has to receive the ‘transparency’ green light from member states.

“We have to see to what extent they have consented to make public, which is not the case at the moment,” said a spokesman.

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