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SeminarThe Lisbon Strategy in Latvia: Between Investment in Human Capital and Economic Growth
April 28, 2005
In the recent years, the development of the EU has been marked by two concurrent trends. On the one hand, the European cooperation has been enlarged to include several post-Communist states which have adopted rather liberal monetarist strategies to pursue economic growth. On the other hand, the EU increasingly stresses the interdependence of economic, social and environmental progress as the only way towards a dynamic and sustainable economy, a Europe of excellence. This presents a dilemma for the new member countries. The priorities of the EU, most clearly expressed in the Lisbon agenda, demand from each country to ensure a certain level of investment in human and social capital. With the limited resources available to the new EU states, the choice seems to be between supporting short-term economic growth and investing in long-term economic and social sustainability. This challenge is every bit as acute for Latvia as for any other state. To address this challenge, the international think tank the Baltic Forum and the Representation of the European Commission in Latvia, with the support of the Ebert Foundation in Latvia were organizing the seminar "The Lisbon Strategy in Latvia: Between Investment in Human Capital and Economic Growth". The seminar contributed to the public debate on the issue in two ways: first, it increased the awareness in Latvia of the pan-European debate and visions on Europe's future. Second, the seminar gave a chance to discuss the Latvian way towards implementing the European visions and the Lisbon strategy. Several questions were in the focus: Will a common European social standard or even a common social model emerge in the EU in the near future? What demands and what possibilities does this mean for Latvia? Can the common interest from advancing the Lisbon process, and the common value ground, compete with the gains for each member state from pursuing its own growth strategy at the cost of others? How to make economic growth serve social progress? Are the principles behind the Nordic welfare model (competitive and technologically advanced economies with large public sector to promote social equality and inclusiveness) gaining relevance for other countries Latvia? The target audience of the seminar was Latvian decision makers at different levels as well as the representatives of civil society and media interested in the issue.
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