The European Commission’s plans for a new ten-year strategy to replace the Lisbon Agenda for growth and jobs, due to be unveiled today (24 November), risk being agreed behind closed doors between member states without proper consultation of civil society.

EurActiv reports today that the Social Platform of European NGOs, in an open letter to EU leaders last week, expressed its dismay over the process by which this key decision – effectively deciding the direction of the EU for the next 10 years – is being reached.

The European Commission will today publish a consultation document on the new strategy, and all relevant stakeholders will be invited to respond accordingly. A formal proposal is expected to be published by the new Commission in January with a final adoption foreseen at the March 2010 European summit.

But will this give too little time to conclude a proper consultation of interested parties, the social NGOs warn, saying the EU has made its usual mistake of coming to a decision behind closed doors, failing to engage citizens and civil society in a properly transparent way.

They therefore call on the Commission to delay adoption of the new strategy until a proper consultation can be done. But the Commission retorts that it needs to act quickly because Europe needs an exit strategy to pull itself out of its worst economic crisis since the 1930s.

So what do you think? Should the Commission delay the strategy’s adoption as the NGOs suggest or should it move ahead quickly?