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Strategy draws mixed reactions

European Commission presented the new ten-year growth strategy "Europe 2020" on 3 March 2010.

The business world (BusinessEurope, Eurochambres and UEAPME) welcomed on the whole the new ten-year growth strategy, ‘Europe 2020’, presented by the European Commission, on 3 March. The European Environmental Bureau (EEB), on the other hand, is very disappointed with the objectives set for climate and energy efficiency.

For the European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (UEAPME), the strategy is “an impressive policy agenda […] that puts the accent on identifying bottlenecks and delivering results”. The association particularly welcomes its recognition of the quality of regulation systems and the importance of SMEs, while regretting that the importance of effective public administrations is given little attention.

BusinessEurope considers the paper a useful basis for developing a strategy to strengthen Europe. Its Director-General, Philippe de Buck, commented that “a growth strategy is the answer if we want to achieve a sound European Union, with strong companies and jobs for many people”. The organisation nevertheless adds that the sense of urgency should be reinforced and is counting on its meeting, on 4 March, to make recommendations.

On behalf of chambers of commerce and industry, Eurochambres describes the strategy as solid, but warns that its priorities and objectives will be meaningless if national governments do not pursue them rigorously through domestic agendas. “National budgets, priorities and actions must be regularly monitored, reviewed and adapted by the Council in line with the priorities and targets of Europe 2020,” it concludes.

EEB: LACK OF COURAGE

The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) welcomed the strategy’s recognition that the effective use of resources is a necessity and an opportunity. However, European societies have advanced in this direction every year for ten years, just enough to stay in line with economic growth, which is why there has not been a sufficient reduction in the use of resources. “That has to change”, explained John Hontelez, general secretary of EEB. He added: “The EU 2020 strategy must at least set an immediate objective of a 3% increase a year in effective use of resources and define a more ambitious policy by 2012”. On climate and energy efficiency, the EEB is “very disappointed”: increasing energy efficiency by 20% over the next ten years means that Europe is going to use exactly the same amount of energy as today if economic growth rises by 20% over the same period. A 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions provides nothing new. For Hontelez, “the Commission clearly lacks courage”.

(Source: Europolitics)