The New European ‘Buzzword’: ‘Open Method of Co-Ordination’

Abstract

“1. Implementation of the strategic goal will be facilitated by applying a new open method of co-ordination as the means of spreading best practices and achieving greater convergence towards the main EU goals. This method, which is designed to help Member States to progressively develop their own policies, involves:

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fixing guidelines for the Union combined with specific timetables for achieving the goals which they set in the short, medium and long terms;

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establishing, where appropriate, quantitative and qualitative indicators and benchmarks against the best in the world and tailored to the needs of different Member States and sectors as a means of comparing best practices;

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translating these European guidelines into national and regional policies by setting specific targets and adopting measures, taking into account national and regional differences;

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periodic monitoring, evaluation and peer review organised as mutual learning processes.

2. A fully decentralised approach will be applied in line with the principle of subsidiarity in which the Union, the Member States, the regional and local levels, as well as the social partners and civil society, will be actively involved using varied forms of partnership. A method of benchmarking best practices on managing change will be devised by the European Commission networking with different providers and users, namely the social partners, companies and NGOs.”

(Conclusions of the Lisbon Summit, 23–24 March 2000, paragraph 37 ‘Implementing a new open method of co-ordination’).