Europe must strive to deliver growth, jobs and low inflation consistently over time under the Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs, which aims to make Europe fit for the future.
One might be tempted to think that this long term agenda may not fit quite well with the shorter term challenges that we are currently facing, which is to get out of the current crisis. It would be a mistake. We have seen that some of the causes of the current crisis lie in the inappropriate functioning of certain markets, notably the financial sector.