The European Council of Lisbon in March 2000 stressed that the Union should become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable growth with more and better job opportunities, greater social cohesion and simplified regulatory environment.

Two years later, the European Council of Barcelona in March 2002, affirmed the importance of improving the quality of public administrations for the economic and social development of the European Union.

Five years later, the European Council of Brussels in March 2005 came to the conclusion, that it is essential to relaunch the Lisbon Strategy without delay and re-focus priorities on growth and employment. In this same context, the Council reiterates the importance it attaches to improving the regulatory environment and it requests the Commission and the Council to consider a common methodology for measuring administrative burdens with the aim of reaching an agreement by the end of 2005, taking advantage of the results of the Commission's pilot projects which are due in the course of 2005.

The Ministers of the extended Troika responsible for Public Administration and the Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Personnel and Administration at their meeting in Wassenaar in November 2004 agreed that more attention and effort is necessary from the Member states and from the European institutions in order to improve Public Administration, so that it becomes an important factor in the realization of the Lisbon objectives.

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