The World Economic Forum’s study is the fifth and final review in a biennial series that assesses the progress made by EU Member countries in the far-reaching goals of the EU’s Lisbon Strategy of economic and structural reforms. In addition to assessing the performance of 27 existing EU Members, it also measures the competitive performance of EU candidates and potential candidate countries.

The eight dimensions measured by The Lisbon Review 2010 are:

1. Creating an information society for all

2. Developing a European area for innovation and R&D

3. Liberalisation (completing the Single Market; state aid and competition policy)

4. Building network industries

5. Creating efficient and integrated financial services

6. Improving the enterprise environment

7. Increasing social inclusion

8. Enhancing sustainable development

The Nordic countries are the strongest European performers in the area of innovation, attributable to their companies’ aggressiveness in adopting new technologies and their level of spending on R&D, and the high degree of collaboration between universities and the private sector in research. Indeed, in terms of innovation “output”, they register among the highest rates of patenting per capita internationally.

Sources: World Economic Forum website, as accessed on May 20, 2010.