A Brief Assessment of Compliance With the “Europe 2020” Strategy Criteria of Member States of the European Union

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.