EU lagging behind in employment rate

The
EU is falling short of its employment targets and has much ground to make up if
it is to succeed in making itself "the most competitive economy in the
World by 2010", according to the European Commission.

The
EU employment rate in 2003 stagnated at 63 per cent, considerably below its
2010 target of 70 per cent. Moreover, there are "only limited employment
growth prospects for 2004 and 2005", according to the Brussels
executive.

Employment
growth rose by only 0.2 per cent in 2003, compared to 0.9 per cent in the US,
reports online news service EU Observer.

Ministers
will discuss ways to boost competitiveness, such as simplifying other EU laws,
at a meeting of the Competitiveness Council planned for the next few days.

Each
member state has drawn up a list of 10 EU laws they regard as unwieldy, and
ministers will debate ways to simplify the legislation.

By Mike Berry

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