EUROPEAN COMMISSION
SECRETARIAT GENERAL
The Secretary General
Brussels, 19 December 2005
SG.D(2005) 12526
Dear National Lisbon Coordinators,
2005 has seen the relaunched the Lisbon Strategy set on firm foundations. In particular, a close
partnership between the Community-level authorities and the Member States has been put at the
centre of the new governance arrangements for the strategy. One of the innovations in this
partnership has been national governments’ reform programmes for growth and jobs. The goal of
this exercise is to increase the ownership of the joint objectives of the strategy at national level.
As foreseen by the European Council of March 2005, in January the Commission will present its
first annual report on progress achieved, looking ahead to the next European Council. The
Commission’s analysis of the national reform programmes will be the key building block of the
2006 report. This analysis will be presented in the form of one chapter per programme and will
constitute an integral part of the Commission’s report.
The Commission representatives with whom you discussed these issues in the summer have now
completed the first analysis of your country’s programme. In tune with the spirit of partnership,
the Commission now wishes to launch an informal exercise to check the facts in the draft chapter
relating to your programme. This has been forwarded to you by electronic mail, in parallel with
this letter.
Please note that this is basically a technical exercise aimed at keeping you informed and at
avoiding factual errors or misunderstandings in our assessment of the national programmes. The
same approach is being adopted in relation to the other national coordinators. Given the deadline
for the adoption of our report, we will only be able to take account of comments that reach us
before 9 January. Please send your comments to Mr Michel Servoz at the address
You might also wish to be aware that in January, the Commission will complement the fiches with
its opinions on each national programme. These texts will also be sent to the National Lisbon
Coordinators in due time.
Thank you in advance for your valuable assistance,
Yours faithfully,
[Signed]
Catherine DAY
Secretary General
Cc.: Madams and Messrs the Permanent Representatives of the Members States to the
EU
Commission européenne, B-1049 Bruxelles / Europese Commissie, B-1049 Brussel - Belgium. Telephone: (32-2) 299 11 11.
Office: BERL 06/204.