All EU ministers are lining up to prepare messages to Heads of State who are supposed to revise the European recovery plan on March 19-20. While environment ministers call for speeding up the transition to a low-carbon economy, competitiveness ministers call for a competitiveness agenda that would complement and reinforce the Lisbon growth and jobs strategy.

Among other issues, here are some concerns for social NGOs:

• Ministers explain that Member States should show a clear commitment to implementing the Lisbon growth and jobs agenda because

1. It has proved to work
2. It will boost confidence among citizens and businesses

• The reporting burden on Member States should be minimized with a more limited number of concrete and ‘smart’ targets.
• Ministers called for greater diversification and competition in the gas and electricity markets, as this would help to respond more effectively to climate change and energy security.
• Structural and cohesion funds should be prioritized to invest and modernize Europe’s infrastructures, invest in R&D and improve energy efficiency, as well as support vocational education especially for entrepreneurs, technical education and natural sciences.
• They also call on more work to be done by the Council under the renewed Social Agenda, “ to enhance employment opportunities, improve access to quality services and ensure solidarity.” Part of the work should strongly focus on employment skills.

• Conclusions of the competitiveness council