Immediately following the Lisbon Council, in March 2000, I endorsed the new working method, the new “open” method of coordination suggested by the Council, thinking that it might help to reduce the number of European regulations, which are, by definition, centralised and authoritarian, and to favour arrangements “between equals” that were less restrictive and more likely to adapt flexibly to suit the needs of each party while respecting their freedom to make their own decisions.
Au lendemain du Conseil de Lisbonne, en mars 2000, j’avais approuvé la nouvelle méthode de travail, dite en "coordination ouverte", que le Conseil avait suggérée, parce qu’elle me paraissait pouvoir contribuer à réduire le nombre des réglementations européennes, par définition centralisées et autoritaires, au profit de concertations "entre pairs" moins contraignantes et susceptibles de s’adapter souplement aux besoins de chacun en respectant sa liberté de décision.
