Employment objectives have been formulated for all EU member states since 1997 in the so-called European Employment Strategy (EES), now part of the “Lisbon Agenda,” the set of goals established to boost EU productivity. But, with the policy instruments for achieving these goals largely national and the arguments for applying them simultaneously in several member states weak, the EES has created unrealistic public expectations and triggered only limited action by governments.
可以从每个国家的经历以及欧盟小国中得出经验，但是，劳动力市场的改革不可避免地更有国家特色。1997年制定“里斯本议程”中的欧洲就业战略以来，已经为欧盟的所有国家确定了就业目标。“里斯本议程”为提高欧洲的生产效率确立了一整套目标。但是，由于实现这些目标的政策手段主要集中在各国，而且在数个成员国同时实施这些政策手段的主张微弱，欧洲就业战略已经造成了不切实际的期望。而各国政府的行动有限。