Yesterday (3 March) the European Commission  published its proposal on a new Europe 2020 Strategy. This publication follows a public consultation to which CEEMET contributed in January 2010.

The proposed Europe 2020 Strategy will be submitted to the European Council  in March for endorsement of the overall approach of the strategy and of the EU headline targets. The European Council could then approve - in June - the detailed parameters of the strategy (proposals to be prepared by the European Commission), including the integrated guidelines and national targets. In the EU 2020 Strategy the Commission:

1- Identifies 3 “mutually reiforcing priorities”: smart growth (fostering knowledge, innovation, education and digital society); sustainable growth (making our production more resource efficient while boosting our competitiveness); and inclusive growth (raising participation in the labour market, the acquisition of skills and the fight against poverty).

2- Proposes 5 “headline targets”:
75 % of the population aged 20-64 should be employed;
3% of the EU's GDP should be invested in R&D; the '20/20/20' climate/energy targets should be met (including an increase to 30% of emissions reduction if the conditions are right); the share of early school leavers should be under 10% and at least 40% of the younger generation should have a tertiary degree; and 20 million less people should be at risk of poverty.

3 – Put forward 7 “flagship initiatives”: 'Innovation Union' to improve framework conditions and access to finance for research and innovation so as to ensure that innovative ideas can be turned into products and services that create growth and jobs; 'Youth on the move' to enhance the performance of education systems and to facilitate the entry of young people to the labour market (see details page 11 of the communication); 'A digital agenda for Europe' to speed up the roll-out of high-speed internet and reap the benefits of a digital single market for households and firms; 'Resource efficient Europe' to help decouple economic growth from the use of resources, support the shift towards a low carbon economy, increase the use of renewable energy sources, modernise our transport sector and promote energy efficiency; 'An industrial policy for the globalisation era' to improve the business environment, notably for SMEs, and to support the development of a strong and sustainable industrial base able to compete globally; 'An agenda for new skills and jobs' to modernise labour markets and empower people by developing their of skills throughout the lifecycle with a view to increase labour participation and better match labour supply and demand, including through labour mobility (see details page 16 of the communication); 'European platform against poverty' to ensure social and territorial cohesion such that the benefits of growth and jobs are widely shared and people experiencing poverty and social exclusion are enabled to live in dignity and take an active part in society. 

The European Commission announced its intention to fully mobilize all EU-level instruments, notably the single market, financial instruments and external policy tools to pursue the Strategy objectives. It also invites national Governments to take ownership of this new Strategy and calls for a reinforced coordination of national economic policies.

More information can be found at: