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News Releases
No. 109/07
November 5, 2007
EU SHOWS STRONG PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH IN 2006
The European Union in 2006 had its
best economic performance since 2000, with
a 3 percent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth.
Productivity, measured by the increase of GDP per
employee, grew strongly for the EU-27 at 1.5 percent,
compared to an annual growth rate between 2000 and 2005
of 1.2 percent. Employment growth accelerated for the
EU-27 to 1.6 percent, compared to an average annual rise
for the period 2000 until 2005 of 0.5 percent. The
European Competitiveness Report of the
European Commission, presented today in Brussels, notes
that in 2006 productivity grew faster in the EU than in
the United States (1.4 percent). The growth rates show a
widespread improvement, across EU countries and economic
sectors.
 Commission
Vice President
Günter Verheugen, responsible for
enterprise and industry policy, said: “These are
very encouraging results, which tell us that that the
reforms under the revised
Lisbon strategy for growth and
jobs are starting to bear fruit. European industries
have managed to maintain their positions on global
markets, contrary to American and Japanese producers.
Now the challenge is to push forward our reform agenda.
I'm still concerned about the spending on research and
development, particularly in the private sector. There
is a clear need to step it up.''
The Competitiveness Report was redesigned in 2006 to
give a solid analytical underpinning to the
microeconomic pillar of the Lisbon strategy, dealing
with policies fostering technological progress, the use
of information and communication technologies (ICT),
competition, product and markets reform, and
infrastructures.
Overall, European services and manufacturing sectors
hold their positions in the global market better than
their US or Japanese counterparts. Their internal
performance has been less impressive, with a rather low
growth of value added, labor and total factor
productivity in the period since 1995.
For more information, please see:
Memo/07/445 and
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/enterprise_policy/competitiveness/index_en.htm
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Further Contact Information
Press and Public Diplomacy
Delegation of the European Commission
2300 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
http://www.eurunion.org/PressRoom
Tel: 202-862-9552
Fax: 202-429-1766
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