Lisbon Agenda - Integrated Guidelines for Growth and Jobs - 2nd Annual Progress Report
The National Reform Programme (NRP) produced in October 2005 last brings together a broad range of policies and initiatives, the implementation of which aims to sustain Ireland’s strong economic growth and employment performance as its overall contribution to the re-launched Lisbon Agenda, focusing particularly on growth and jobs, over the period to 2008.
Following elections in May 2007, a new Government assumed office in June 2007 on the basis of an Agreed Programme for Government setting out in clear and ambitious terms its shared vision for Ireland’s development over the coming five years. The new Government is determined to maintain the success of the social partnership process, which serves as Ireland’s National Reform Partnership for the purposes of the Lisbon Agenda. It is committed to working with the social partners to ensure the full implementation of the Towards 2016 agreement negotiated in 2006, the seventh successive such agreement building on our well-established model of stakeholder engagement.
As set out in last year’s progress report, the Towards 2016 agreement provides, for the first time, a ten-year framework for supporting sustainable improvements to quality of life. Key to this sustainability is the deepening appreciation it reflects of the strong interdependence between our social, economic and environmental goals.
There is a comprehensive and integrated set of national strategies under the Towards 2016 framework, including the National Reform Programme, the National Development Plan and the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion. The primary focus in the period ahead is now on implementation of these complementary strategies.
In the particular areas of economic growth and job creation, Ireland remains fully committed to the Lisbon Agenda goals, and the emphasis of this report is on key developments to this end during the past 12 months, working with the social partners under the Towards 2016 framework. Ireland believes that the challenges and opportunities presented by an increasingly knowledge-intensive and interconnected global economy can best be dealt with by a strong Europe and full implementation of the Lisbon Agenda.