Abstract (eng)
The European Union’s policy actions taken today will shape the future of the European economies. Therefore, this paper will analyse the EU’s economic policy from 1992 until today with particular focus on the “new economy” and ICT-usage. The most significant economic policy measures were the Bangemann report, White Paper, Lisbon-Strategy and Europe 2020. These measures were important as they focus on growth, competitiveness and employment, which were and still are the main challenges for the EU. The policies are analysed using the economic indicators GDP, unemployment and productivity. Over the last decade, the importance of productivity as an indicator has risen for two reasons. First, productivity gains lead to more competitiveness, which in turn may lead to a higher GDP growth rate. Second, the “productivity gap” between Europe and the US is widening in favour of the US. The economic policy analyses are expanded by demonstrating the usage of the terms “new economy”, “crisis”, “sustainability” and “competitiveness” on a political level within the EU. Furthermore, structural changes in the European economies have taken place. These changes have primarily affected employment-conditions, leading to a higher unemployment rate, more part-time employees and fewer job opportunities. The EU sees a solution in SME, which should offer the jobs that are needed as well as increase the competitiveness of European economies. To achieve this, different policy programs were conducted by the member states, such as VeRDI, eAskel, Opportunity Wales and PRISM II, which will be looked at in greater detail.