Trends in the “Europe 2020” Strategy An Overview

Abstract

Eight indicators corresponding to the targets of “Europe 2020” Strategy were used to estimate the deviation of EU Member-States from their targets. The study showed that: i) the distance to the employment target of 75 % of people aged 20-64 years has narrowed, ii) the expenditure for R&D as a percentage of GDP are still below the target of 3%, iii) the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in ESD sectors by 20 % compared to 1990 levels are still below the target, iv) the increase of the share of renewable energy in final consumption to 20 % remains just below the target, v) the move towards a 20% increase in energy efficiency shows a good prospect, vi) the reduction of school drop-out rates to less than 10 % is steadily approaching its target, vii) the share of population aged 30-34 having completed tertiary education to at least 40 % is steadily approaching its target, viii) the lifting at least 20 million people out of risk of poverty was not achieved.