EU Summit Fast Growth Plan: Digital +Energy, Networks via SMEs + Youth, redeploy +82 Billions €

*Brussels/EU Summit/Angelo Marcopolo/- The 1st EU Summit starting to focus, after Financial Stability, now mainly on stimulating Growth, pointed at Digital  + Energy potential, while preparing Network industries for June, and redeployed some 83 Billions, mainly via SMEs and Young People, seeking the "fastest" possible consequences also   on Employment, but without losing from its sight the overal EU Growth Strategy, based on investment to Innovation, as German Chancellor Angie Merkel stressed, speaking to Journalists in Brussels, including "EuroFora".
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

      Since the "Fiscal Pact", decided in 2011, is now ready even earlier than initially scheduled, EU can and must  focus in 2012 on urgent action to stimulate Growth and Jobs, particularly for Young People, via SME's, etc., while also seeking to boost the Single Market's potential on  Digital, Energy and other Networks, mainly by better targetting unspend, surplus Money of the 2007-2013 pluriannual period to the fast producing results areas of SMES and Young People, in conformity with the 2020 EU Growth Strategy which focuses on investing in RST and Innovation. ---------------------------------- 

   "Digital Agenda" figures No 1 under the Headlines "Europe 2020 : EU's Growth Strategy", together with "Innovation", "Youth" and "New Skills", etc, topically reminds a presentation made by EU President José Barroso to the 1st EU Council of 2012, titled "Growth and Jobs : Next Steps".

    In particular, in "completing the Single Market", "by deploying the Full Potential of Digital Economy", "the Digital Single Market" constitutes "a clear Priority", as one "Key Driver for EU's Economic Growth", stress EU Council's conclusions, asking, in particular, for "Rapid Implementation of EU Commissiopn's Action Plan on "E-Coçmmerce", and "New Proposals" or "Agreements", until "June 2012" on "E-Signature", "On line Dispute resolution", and "Roaming", as well as to "modernize EU's CopyRight regime", "while Fighting Piracy",  etc. , and adding also "E-Governenment" etc.

    + Both 3 biggest €uro-Area Countries' leaders, new Italian Prime Minister Mario Prodi, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and German Chancellor Angie Merkel, have played recently an exceptionaly important role in this direction :

    - Monti, since 2009, published as EU Expert a landmark Report on the potential of EU's Single Market, which gave a particularmly important role on the "New Sources" of Growth, made possible by Digital Economy and Media, as he had stressed since then in statements to "EuroFora" (See relevant 2009 NewsReport).

    - Sarkozy, (even while facing scepticissm by some quarters) decided to largely include Digital projects among those who can be funded by the "Great Loan"for long-term Iniitiatives of Excellence for the Future, consecrating many Billions €, as he anounced for the 1st time on 12/2009 near Strasbourg, the same Day that Merkel was giving a landmatrk speech at an International Conference on the Internet in Stuttgart, near Strasbourg, as part of Germany's "Excellence/Innovation Strategy for Growth".          
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    On "Energy", EU Council's conclusions call for an "agreement on Enerhy Efficiency", and ask to "rapidly implement EU Legislation on Energy Single Market", while EU Parliament's President, Schulz, is due to participate tomorrow morning, at the Economic and Social Council in an one Day-long Conference on the "EU on the road towards an Energy European Community", where "EuroFora" was invited.

    Including a participation by Union for the Mediterranean Secretyary Generalm, Amrani, in a 2nd part on Security of Supply and Foreign affairs' dimension, shortlyafter growing, huge Oil/Gas Findings at the South-Eastern Mediterranean, from Egypt and Israel up to Lebanon and EU Member Country Cyprus, which might be equivalent to the similar Geology of Mexico Gulf's Deep Sea recentt findings, able to coverr more than 52%  of USA's needs, according to former US President GWBush  (comp."EuroFora"s earlier NewsReports).
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    - "We all agreed (in the first 2012 EU Summit) that Today's Issue was a matter of Growth and Competitiveness, and no more a mere matter of Deficits' reduction, that we must continue in parallel, according to decisiopns already taken and the roadmap designed", stressed French President Sarkozy.

    The move comes, in particular, after, in the context of a Global Crisis, all over the World, even recent Predictions of Germany"s Growth for 2012 fell from + 2% initialy, down to just 0,75 %, and for France, from +1% initially, down to 0,5+, as he observed.

    - Sarkozy anounced, however, that this "doesn't change anything, in terms of France having  to respect its commitments (to the EU), since we have already succeeded to be in advance on the Deficit Reduction Agenda", (as the French President has anounced since January 9 in Berlin (See earlier "EuroFora"s NewsReport from Berlin).

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 +Both Merkel and Sarkozy stressed that the most Innovative move among the present EU Commission's proposals, was the Decision to save and re-program some +83 Billions €, mainly from Structural Funds,

    in addition to more Youth Training, Mobility, etc, and EU's Recommendation to diminish Taxes currently supported by Employers on their workers' salaries, which should be rather transferred into Indirect taxation, such as "VAT"s, etc, (as the French Government has just started to do).

    - "+ Instead of disbursing a lot of not-used EU Funds, as we've done in the Past, (i.e. returning them back to National Governments which had paid that money, most of whom are rather Rich), on the contrary, now, we'll let those Countries in need, "Free to use them in the best targetted way for creating Growth and Jobs", f.ex. by investing into RST, etc, in order to become more competitive and productif, stressed German Chancellor Angie Merkel.

    => "Such Concrete Steps which make material Differe nce for those Countries who find it difficult to get loans, (f.ex. because their ratings habve been recently downgraded, so that borrowing has become more expensive for them"), observed German Chancellor Merkel.

    + And "the Fastest way" to create Jobs, is to support SME's and Young People's employment", Merkel explained.

    - It all goes in the Direction of aiming to create sustrainable and healthy Growth by investing in RST, Education and People, etc., so that Productivity augments, according to the main Strategy that we had proposed, as early as "since 2010", together with French President Sarkozy, she reminded,

    apparently speaking of the Franco-German strategic decision to start resolutely moving towards deeper EU "Integration", with a call for other willing EU Countries to join, (>Comp. "EuroFora"s relevant 2010 NewsReports, already from Elysee Palace 2/2010, but particularly from Freiburg, 12/2010).
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    At any case, French President Sarkozy, observing that Market and Growth Predictions should be always taken "Carefully", added that things could probably go much bettter, if the issues affecting Greece were soon settled

    (Comp. other NewStory, herewith)