(27 October 2014) – The European Economic and Social Committee considers that the strategy has proved to be largely insufficient to achieve the targets it has set itself, despite some encouraging results achieved in combating climate change and promoting sustainable energy, and in education and reducing early school leaving.
The Europe 2020 strategy’s main problems can be seen in the areas of governance, the targets set, civil society participation and its implementation. There are extremely worrying signs regarding spending on research and development (R&D), the labour market and the fight against poverty and social exclusion.
The Committee deems it necessary to promote a development model, where sustainable development is linked with the relevant Europe 2020 targets, in which the EU Member States support the implementation of policies that can: promote European competitiveness and its main stakeholders (workers, private businesses and social enterprises); promote the quantitative and qualitative growth of European investment (tangible, intangible and social); create more and better jobs; support social and territorial cohesion and address the problems related to high unemployment and rising levels of poverty and social exclusion.