EEA/EU - NHO’s strategy and policy Director Siri Bjerke May 7, 2002

Who is NHO? Sectoral Federations Regional Offices NHO Head Office Brussels Office UNICE member companies FHL PIL TBL 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

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?