EEA/EU- NHO’s strategy and

policy

Director Siri Bjerke

May 7, 2002

Who is NHO?

Sectoral Federations

RegionalOffices

NHOHead Office

Brussels Office

UNICE

16 000 member companies

FHL

PILTBL

NBL

NHO’s strategy

Long-term goal: EU membership

(not on the agenda)

Active and knowledge based debate

Strategy for how to ”navigate by the stars”

Ensure competetiveness

(79 % of export to EU)

EU is changing

EFTA - from 8% to 1% of EU’s population

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

1992 2002 2005?

Mill

ion

s in

hab

itan

ts

EØS-EFTA

EU

Answer to the marginalisation:

Active national strategy

White paper about the EEA-agreement

Higher priority, more resources, better

knowledge, more open processes

Priority to energy and fish issues

Ensure competitiveness

NHO is focusing on:

Better knowledge about the EEA-agreement: Ceps study, ESA-report

Consequences of the enlargement: special focus on the fish industry

EU, the world’s most competitive region by 2010

(Lisbon strategy)

a Norwegian response

The Lisbon strategy ”Make EU the most competetive and dynamic knowledge based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater cohesion”

Concrete targets to reach the goals are set - some examples: An information society for all: Every 15 pupil in EU with Internet connection by 2003

Create a European area of research and innovation: 3% of GDP to R&D by 2010

Education and training for living and working in the knowledge society: EU education and training systems should be the world quality reference by 2010

A comprehensive approach Open method of co-ordination (bencmarking etc.) Driven by heads of states

Need for a parallel strategy

Strongly effects the development of the internal market and the

conditions for business and industry

Norway already lags behind in transferring to the ”new economy”

Use the Lisbon strategy as a catalyst to revitalize our national

strategy for growth and development.

”Lyft Sverige” (S) - ”Slipp skaperkraften fri” (N) -

What will be the Icelandic vision?

Common effort to be included in EU’s Open method of co-

ordination (benchmarking, indicators)

New EU debate in Norway?

Traumatic history Government’s ”suicide paragraph” Growing awareness of marginalisation Conditions for the fish industry General elections 2005 Perhaps 2007?