On 20 March 2000, Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission, praises the Portuguese Presidency for having taken the initiative to hold a special European Council in Lisbon on ‘Employment, Economic Reforms and Social Cohesion — Towards a Europe based on Innovation and Knowledge’.

On 23 and 24 March 2000, the Lisbon European Council defines for the European Union a new strategic goal in order to create more jobs and strengthen economic reform and social cohesion as part of a knowledge-based economy.

On 23 March 2000, Nicole Fontaine, President of the European Parliament, congratulates the European Council on having taken the initiative to define for the European Union a new strategic objective in order to create more jobs and strengthen economic reform and social cohesion as part of a knowledge-based economy.

On 23 and 24 March 2000, the Heads of State or Government of the Fifteen, meeting at the Lisbon European Council, set a new strategic objective for the European Union aimed, in particular, at strengthening employment, economic reform and social cohesion as part of a knowledge-based economy.

In this interview, António Vitorino, Member of the European Commission with special responsibility for justice and home affairs from 1999 to 2004 and Special Adviser in 2007 to the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, considers the extent to which the methods of the Lisbon Strategy are in line with its objectives and assesses the results of its application in the Member States.