We have seen advances in the policy areas of research and development, financial services, the liberalisation of energy and telecommunication markets, environmental protection and regulat
ory reforms; it is now much easier for workers and students to move around the EU to access jobs and education; it is easier to set up and run a small business; consumers are already enjoying cheaper telephone calls; significant strides have been made in terms of equality and social protection; the internal market itself has helped to create two and a half million jobs in Europe within the last ten years alone, and yet, despite these achievements, i
...[+++]t is increasingly clear that unless we implement a broader policy reform programme in Europe we will not make the EU the most competitive economy in the world by 2010.