EU targets of Commission and Portuguese presidency

The summit is expected to agree the following targets today:

Internal market:

To open telecommunications local lines to competition to reduce Internet access costs by end-2000;

Agreement by end-2000 on e-commerce legislation and in 2001 on the telecommunications review package;

Substantial progress on European company statute by June 2000;

Remove all barriers to trade in services by end-2000;

Adopt EU patent by 2001;

New public procurement rules by 2001 with all public procurement online by 2003;

Full liberalisation of EU energy markets, a single European market in air travel, and new rail-freight "freeways" by 2004;

Rapid progress on tax package, and on takeovers and bank liquidation legislation by June 2000;

Integrated venture capital market by 2003;

Integration of financial services market by 2005.

Research:

Creation of virtual centres of excellence for Europe by end 2000, linked by broadband electronic networks;

Annual benchmarking of research activities in Europe with first report in 2001;

Enhance mobility of researchers by setting targets for non-nationals by 2002; New strategy for assisting private-sector research by 2002.

Social objectives:

Restoration of full employment as a key objective;

Raising percentage of working-age people actually employed from 61 per cent today to 70 per cent by 2010;

Increasing number of women in employment from 51 per cent to 60 per cent by 2010;

Lifelong learning:

Connect all schools to the Internet by 2001;

Ensure all teachers are skilled in Internet use by 2002;

Digital literacy skills for all workers and school leavers by 2003 and for all citizens by 2005;

Raising by half the share of GDP invested in human resources by 2010;

Halving number 18-24 year olds with only secondary education by 2004-2005;

Public access to Internet resource centres and free training by 2002.