Even sub Saharan Africa, the traditional laggard, is expected to grow at 5 in 2010.

The child who dominates on the playground may become a laggard when the context changes to a disciplined classroom.

Now a decade has passed since that bold pledge, and it is official Europe is the world s growth laggard rather than its champion.

Lack of adequate foreign assistance is one of the greatest disgraces on our planet, and the United States has been the biggest laggard of all.

The United States has proved to be the biggest laggard in the world, refusing to sign the 1997 Kyoto Protocol or to adopt any effective domestic emissions controls.

But the nuclear program remained a laggard. Qadaffi continued to import nuclear technology secretly, even as his diplomats privately negotiated a modus vivendi with the US and Britain.

When it comes to productivity, India has been a laggard. Unless it finds a way to improve, the country's demographic profile could become a burden rather than a benefit.

As India s economic boom has transformed it from a global laggard into one of the world s key emerging powers, the new generation of Indians finally arrived in business, science, and politics.

Germany, the laggard of Europe for many years, is expected to grow by about 3 or more this year, while the average of the EU 15 (and the EU 27) stands at only 1.1 .

The EU s executive body is meant to be the driving force behind Europe s efforts to revive laggard industries and fight to reverse the long term economic decline that the eurozone crisis appears to presage.

To be sure, economic performance will vary widely among EU countries. While Italy will be the laggard, with only 1.1 growth, the Irish rocket will not lose its force, pushing real GDP up by about 4.8 .

While Germany grew by only 14 in the ten years from 1995 to 2005, ranking as Europe s vice laggard next to Italy, France grew by 23.6 , which was nearly the old EU countries average of 24.3 .

The United States is usually regarded as an environmental laggard, with President George W. Bush perceived as being little better than the head of a gang of willful polluters who do everything they can to obstruct global action to protect the environment.

Lack of adequate foreign assistance is one of the greatest disgraces on our planet, and the United States has been the biggest laggard of all. It is urgent that the US wake up to global realities, and that it follow through on its commitments.

The sad truth is that development aid to Africa has decreased from 49 per person in 1980 to 38 per person in 2005. The true development needs of Laggard countries and other parts of the world are not being met, despite the rhetoric of scaling up aid.

Moreover, any investment growth is vital for Germany, which, according to the latest OECD statistics, currently suffers from the world s lowest share of net investment in national income. Even if Germany remains the world s laggard, rising investment demand as such will contribute to GDP growth, which Ifo estimates at 1.7 in 2006.