Tag: Europe 2020

Several European Commissioners say they regret the cuts in the 2014-2020 EU budget, agreed on Friday (8 February) after a marathon 24-hour summit. However, the Commissioners expressed hope that the European Parliament would approve the deal.

Eurostat issued its first analysis of the 'Europe 2020' strategy, which underpins the EU's evaluation of national budgets – giving the latest statistical trends in a range of areas such as the employment rate, R&D spending, CO2 emissions and renewable energies as well as education, poverty and social exclusion.

An extraordinary summit of EU heads of state and governments in November will focus on the European Union budget for 2014-2020, it emerged following a meeting of European Affairs ministers held in Nicosia yesterday (30 August).

The fragmented nature of the EU's digital single market is preventing many small businesses from reaping the benefits of the Internet and ICTs, write Ann Mettler and Sylwia Stępień.

Investing in sustainable industries is a win-win situation that will boost the much-needed growth in the EU while creating a sustainable and eco-friendly environment, writes Antonio Tajani, commissioner for industry and Entrepreneurship.

Since the start of the year, one phrase has tripped off the lips of European leaders more than any other: "jobs and growth". After two years of debt crisis and budget austerity, there is a strong desire to shift the narrative on.

To reduce youth unemployment, training and education might not be enough, Peter Matjašič, president of the European Youth Forum, told EurActiv in an interview. Turning young people into entrepreneurs could be the solution, he said.

After the failure of the Lisbon Agenda and in anticipation of 'Europe 2020', the EU must draft a new civilisation project that respects the environment and future generations, leading Europe towards a new industrial revolution capable of giving birth to a "natural" capitalism, writes Laurent Ledoux, director of Philosophie & Management and a senior executive in a major bank.

Unlike their illustrious predecessors, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy maintain a "superficial" alliance, former European Commission President Jacques Delors told EurActiv in an exclusive interview.

The Slovak Ministry of Transportation said it will reallocate 180 million of EU funding on science, research and education in favour of building road infrastructure, triggering alarm bells within the scientific community. EurActiv Slovakia reports.

The first wave of baby boomers will retire next year, marking a demographic shift that will reshape European labour markets over the next 20 years and widen the skills gap that many companies are already struggling to fill.

A leading innovation expert has warned that Europe could struggle to implement the new 'Innovation Union' strategy. Bengt-Åke Lundvall, professor of economics at the University of Aalborg, said lessons could be learned from China's approach to policymaking, where specific tasks are allocated to individual civil servants to ensure they are carried out. 

The European Commission and EU member states have made "no contact" with the Committee of the Regions (CoR) during key debates on the future of European regional policy and the 2020 growth strategy for the coming decade – a big mistake, according to CoR member Michael Schneider.

The European Commission and member states have made "no contact" with the Committee of the Regions (CoR) during key debates on the EU's future regional policy and the 2020 growth strategy for the coming decade – a big mistake, CoR member Michael Schneider told EurActiv in an interview.

Future cuts in EU regional funds could damage the ability of local and regional bodies to balance economic development with vital social and environmental changes, outgoing Budapest Mayor Gabor Demszky told EurActiv in an interview.

Regional policy is the best way to transform the economic goals of the 'Europe 2020' strategy into concrete achievements, and it will need to keep its current chunk of the EU budget to do so, Regional Policy Commissioner Johannes Hahn told EurActiv in an interview.

As the European Union slowly begins to emerge from the economic crisis, member-state governments now face the tough task of reviving their job markets and getting people back into work in the coming years, against a backdrop of an EU employment target of 75% for the year 2020. EurActiv's media network reports.

Reaching an agreement on the regulation of hedge funds is vital for the health of Europe's financial sector, says EU Internal Market Commissioner Michel Barnier. In an exclusive interview with EurActiv.fr, he also backs "new ideas" like eurobonds to finance EU growth policies.

The Czech labour market was hit hard by the economic crisis and the new government will need to implement key reforms if the country is to achieve its employment target under the 'Europe 2020' strategy. EurActiv.cz reports from Prague.

The Hungarian government has pledged to create one million jobs over the next ten years – an ambitious plan that would help bring the country's employment rate up to 70% by the year 2020. EurActiv Hungary reports.

Despite the EU's clearly-defined employment policies and 2020 job target, France will seek its own ways of responding to its citizens' main concerns – access to the job market and job security. EurActiv France reports.

While some of the EU's Eastern member states are confident about achieving the bloc's 2020 education targets, others – Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania – may struggle to satisfy the European Commission's expectations. EurActiv's media network reports.

Bulgaria will have to work hard to achieve the education targets in the EU's new 'Europe 2020' strategy. The country's biggest problem appears to be the high number of kids who stop attending school at an early age. Dnevnik, EurActiv's partner in Bulgaria, reports.