Social dialogue and citizens' wellbeing should be an objective of Europe 2020

Measures for combating poverty and social exclusion, the creation of quality jobs and realistic solutions for youth unemployment were some of the main topics discussed at the conference "Europe 2020 - paths for reinventing Europe's future", held by the European Economic and Social Committee i (EESC) on 6 July. With the Europe 2020 strategy not delivering the expected results and its mid-term review scheduled towards the end of the year, European and national decision-makers, civil society representatives, national economic and social committees and councils and key stakeholders from the EU Member States came together to offer new perspectives on social progress, aimed at boosting the performance and effectiveness of the EU's strategic goals. The participants called for the active involvement of civil society organisations in the Europe 2020 reform process and for an open debate on the EU crisis strategy.

"Relaunching the Europe 2020 Strategy requires a paradigm shift," said the president of the Europe 2020 Steering Committee at the EESC, Stefano Palmieri. "We need an investment plan that includes social investment and we need to link the strategy's targets to the European Fund for Strategic Investment. The relaunch of Europe 2020 should focus on the social dimension by strengthening social protection, life-long learning and creating targeted programmes for disadvantaged groups in society."

Since its launch in 2010, Europe 2020 has been the EU's only long-term strategy for establishing a link between needs and reforms in the Member States. Despite some signs of upward market trends, efforts to achieve economic growth continue. Poverty and social inequality are constantly rising throughout the EU. With one in five young people in Europe unemployed, the participants at the conference called for realistic solutions to the problem. The conference offered concrete proposals regarding the interdependent economic, environmental and social challenges, while addressing governance as a cross-cutting issue. Proposals for closer links between the Europe 2020 strategy, the European Semester (EU's annual cycle of economic policy guidance and surveillance), national policies and the Investment Plan were highlighted during the discussions. Competitiveness factors and innovation were also discussed along with the post-2015 development agenda and assessment indicators.

"It is crucial to restore ambition as well as credibility within the context of the Europe 2020 review, or else the whole European Union will suffer", said former EU Commissioner, László Andor, in his concluding speech.

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