EU countries slip in global competitiveness ranks: The World Competitiveness Yearbook - published by leading business school IMD in Switzerland - ranks 60 countries and regions according to 323 categories that contribute to a competitive economy.
And the ranking makes disappointing reading for Europe. According to the report, the top six countries are the US, Singapore, Canada, Australia, Iceland and Hong Kong.
The top EU country - Denmark - comes in seventh. [...]
Portugal was in the same place [39º] and this report will undoubtedly cause ripples in Brussels where a high-level group is currently putting together proposals to invigorate the so-called "Lisbon strategy", which is the EU's ambitious goal to be the most competitive, knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010.
