The Europe 2020 strategy is the European strategy for creating smart, sustainable and inclusive growth since 2010. It has been instrumental in preparing strategic choices for the European Commission’s work. It led to the creation of the European Semester, which has become a powerful instrument to provide guidance for the Member States in their structural reforms and sustainable fiscal policies.

This publication by Eurostat provides up-to-date data in the areas covered by the Europe 2020 strategy which is important for our policymaking and helps to monitor progress towards the strategy’s objectives.

The first years of the Europe 2020 strategy coincided with the financial and economic crisis, and progress towards the targets has been mixed. Already today, we have achieved our objectives for 2020 regarding greenhouse gas emissions and final energy efficiency, while being very close to reaching our education targets. More recently, we have seen continued progress regarding employment. The situation is improving in almost all Member States and the employment target is also within reach. More still needs to be done to invest in research and innovation and to fight against poverty and social exclusion. The Commission will keep up its efforts to support these positive trends with all of its different policy initiatives: from the smart use of EU budgetary resources to providing the right regulatory incentives. A forceful implementation also at national level will help achieve progress.

To achieve the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy, the Commission will also continue to boost investment, pursue structural reforms in Member States and ensure responsible fiscal policies. The implementation of the Investment Plan for Europe is an important part of this strategy and we are grateful for Eurostat’s crucial role in having provided more clarity and transparency on public accounting rules in Europe.

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