Mit - Index

Mit - SINFO March 2008 No.6 - Index

earliest possible opportunity on the post-2010 growth scenario,
since reforms will also be needed after this period.
YOU BELIEvE THAT THE LISBON
STRATEGY IS wORKING AND THAT ITS
ACHIEvEMENTS ARE OBvIOUS. CAN YOU
NAME THOSE ACHIEvEMENTS?
Lisbon is delivering and the economic upswing in 2006 and
2007 in the European economy is not only cyclical, it is also
a result of structural reforms. Economic indicators in the EU
showed economic growth of 2.7%, unemployment below 7%
and public debt below 60%. In Slovenia economic performance
was even better, with economic growth of between 6 and 7%,
unemployment below 5%, public debt below 30% and a well
balanced budget.
wHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE Of THE
LISBON STRATEGY fOR PEOPLE?
Economic growth means jobs, salaries, prosperity, social
protection. Lisbon Strategy is mostly about growth, but is also
sensitive to very day-to-day human problems, such as spending
time with famility, making sure children finish school, equal
opportunities for men and women. Dealing with issues like
knowledge, competitiveness, employment, energy and climate
change for all of us means, that as Europeans we feel stronger
and less insecure facing global challenges, we have a vision and
direction to follow, which can bring us together to become
most creative area in the world, none of the EU countries could
separately achieve that, neither France or Germany, Finland or
Denmark, Slovenia or Slovakia. But it also means that we have
better life today then 20 years ago. We buy brands, we spend
more money on holidays, drive better cars... Maybe we don’t
remember that any more.
AND wHERE IS THE fOCUS Of THE
LISBON STRATEGY?
Within the four pillars of the Lisbon Strategy the focus in the pillar
of knowledge is on creativity, open access, open innovation,
broadband access and knowledge as the fifth freedom. In the
pillar of competitiveness the most important thing is small or
medium enterprise and growth. In the pillar of employment it
is flexibility of jobs, education and management of talents and
in the energy and climate change pillar, in addition to many
other things part of the energy and climate change package the
somehow new angle is that it is important for states themselves
to demonstrate appropriate behavior by example.
ARE ALL EU MEMBERS EqUALLY
DETERMINED TO INTRODUCE
STRUCTURAL REfORMS? wHAT IS
ACTUALLY PREvENTING EU MEMBERS
fROM IMPLEMENTING REfORMS?
No, all are not equally eager to reform. The need for reform is
also different from country to country. Some did already achieve
a lot. What is the obstacle to reform? I like to quote Machiavelli.
He said that reforms have only a luke warm support in those who
15
InTERview
may perhaps benefit from changes, but fanatic oppononets in
those that will loose.
YOU SAID THAT YOU wOULD INTRODUCE
CREATIvITY INTO THE LISBON
STRATEGY, THAT HUMAN CREATIvITY
wAS BECOMING A DECISIvE ECONOMIC
SOURCE, AND THAT THERE wAS A ‘wAR
fOR TALENT’ GOING ON. HOw DO YOU
THINK CREATIvITY CAN BE ACHIEvED?
The message we imposed through renewed Lisbon Strategy is
this whole concept of creativity and open innovation. We must
ask ourselves what truly brings economic growth? The Lisbon
Strategy in its previous cycle was focusing mostly on knowledge,
R&D, scientific innovation which is definitely important, but China
and India are also bringing great engineers and scientists to the
global talents arena.
In order to compete globally Europe should rely on its cultural
heritage and diversity. The creative industries in Europe are
stronger than the car industry. And it is the creative industry
that makes the difference between a coffee cup worth €0.05
and a coffee cup worth €5, even when manufacturing costs,
somewhere in China, are almost the same for both of them.
Stronger intellectual property protection, like protection of
brands, designs, or the digital content will be needed.
Europe should also continue developing world-class IT
infrastructure. The economy is increasingly digital and we must
think in terms of broadband access. Member states will have to
come up with plans to make sure that their citizens can benefit
from this information revolution and that all schools in Europe
will have broadband connection by 2010. With connectivity
all Europeans can become part of the innovative and creative
processes taking place in Europe.
AND wHAT IS YOUR ASSESSMENT Of
CREATIvITY AT HOME, IN THE SLOvENIAN
REGIONS?
Slovenia has great creative potential and we are promoting the topic
also in our National Council for Competitiveness. If Lisbon Strategy
is Europe’s lowest common denominator, it is regions, that can offer
more. Regions should invest more in infrastructure and capacity to
retain talents and even to win the war for talents in the world. This
war is not happening only between Europe and the rest of the world,
but also within Europe, among regions. We could strive to connect
creative regions and cities for example in line of the 5th corridor
that goes through Slovenia as well. It is not just a traffic and logistic
corridor, but can offer much more. We have seen Bilbao in Spain,
city that invested in building unbelievable objects and attracted
artists, students and other creative people, who now want to stay,
live and work there. We already know it as a “Bilbao effect”.
In Slovenia we have a couple of centers that are aware of this
issue. They are aware that establishing a core around which they
will be able to keep local talents and attract others, is essential.
I could mention Koper, Celje, Maribor, Novo mesto and Krško,
where we can see things are moving into right direction. Also the
february 08 sinfo