International spillovers of domestic reforms: the joint application of the Lisbon Strategy in the EU

Using the CGE model WorldScan, we assess the benefits for the EU member states of jointly reaching four of the Lisbon targets (i.e. 70% employment, skills upgrades, increased R&D expenditures and administrative burden reductions of 25%), compared with the alternative when each country unilaterally pursues these reforms. With this approach, we estimate the associated international spillovers of joint EU coordination. Spillovers associated with R&D expenditures are a key factor. When the R&D target is jointly reached in the EU, the effect on output almost doubles and the effect on consumption shows an even greater increase. The other three targets also produce positive spillovers, but of a much lower magnitude.