Europe 2020: A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth

Europe 2020 is the European Union’s ten-year growth strategy that puts forward three mutually reinforcing priorities:

–Smart growth: developing an economy based on knowledge and innovation.
–Sustainable growth: promoting a more resource efficient, greener and more competitive economy.
– Inclusive growth: fostering a high-employment economy deliver ing social and territorial cohesion.

To render this more tangible, five key targets have been set for the EU to achieve by the end of the decade. These cover employment; education; research and innovation; social inclusion and poverty reduction; and climate/energy.

The strategy also includes seven ‘flagship initiatives’ providing a framework through which the EU and national authorities mutually reinforce their efforts in areas supporting the Europe 2020 priorities such as innovation, the digital economy, employment, youth, industrial policy, poverty, and resource efficiency.