Direction of EU growth strategy causes concern

EU leaders set to approve ‘Europe 2020’ at summit next week, but there are growing pressure for greater emphasis on agriculture.

Europe 2020, the EU’s new strategy to boost growth and competitiveness, is running into criticism from member states unhappy with some of the proposed targets. 

EU leaders are scheduled to approve the plan at their meeting in Brussels on 25-26 March – including its five targets of raising employment, promoting innovation, responding to climate change and energy use, boosting education, and reducing poverty.

Member states have already voiced opposition to the specific goal of lifting 20 million people out of poverty by 2020. They argue that the most effective way to reduce poverty is by achieving higher economic growth and creating job opportunities. Some view this target as little more than a gesture to social issues by José Manuel Barroso, the European Commission’s president.

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Germany is the most outspoken of the member states that see problems with the education targets – particularly cutting early school leaving to less than 10%, and ensuring that at least 40% of young people have a university degree or diploma.

Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, has warned Barroso that her government will not sign up to anything in this area that has not been agreed by the regional governments of the Länder, which are responsible for education.

Poland is urging a stronger focus on policies that drive economic growth. Mikolaj Dowgielewicz, Poland’s state secretary for EU affairs, told journalists in Brussels on 15 March that there should be a target for energy and information technology infrastructure, and that Poland favoured a numerical target that linked population density to infrastructure provision. The strategy should also stress the importance of cohesion policy in helping countries boost economic development, Dowgielewicz added.

The conclusions of the finance ministers meeting in Brussels on Tuesday (16 March) merely “took note” of the Commission’s communication on the 2020 strategy, rather than welcoming it – language that reflects reluctance to endorse the Commission’s document at this stage.

Ministers will discuss the strategy on Monday (22 March) with Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council, to prepare the summit, which Van Rompuy will chair.

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GENDER EQUALITY

Spain will push for gender equality to be given more emphasis in the strategy, according to the country’s equality minister. “We are not giving up on gender in Europe 2020,” Bibiana Aído told European Voice. “The gender perspective has to be in this strategy. We feel that there cannot be a step backwards from what we had already in the Lisbon strategy.”
The Lisbon strategy for growth and jobs, the predecessor to Europe 2020, aimed for the EU to get 60% of women in employment by 2010 – a target that was missed. Europe 2020 has a more general target of getting 75% of people aged 20-64 in work. Aído insisted that a specific target was still required: “Now we have 76% of men in employment and 63% of women. It is obvious if we are to reach the 75% of people in employment, it is women’s employment [that must be increased] and that is why we see the need for a specific target.”
“You cannot think about growth perspective in the next ten years without the participation of women. This is not only a question of social justice, but it also makes economic sense,” she said.
The Spanish government made headlines in 2008 when José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero won a second term as prime minister and appointed more women than men to his team. Aído, one of his appointees, said that “the presence of women broadens the issues that are tackled in politics”, mentioning issues such as violence against women and the gender pay gap.

Agriculture omitted

France and Ireland want to see more emphasis on agriculture in the strategy – which makes no mention of the subject anywhere in its 37 pages, despite agriculture accounting for 42% of the EU budget.

“The role of agriculture and specifically the food sector…is something that we would look to have reflected in the strategy more concretely,” said a spokeswoman for Ireland’s permanent representation to the EU. These comments were echoed by a French spokeswoman, who said that “agriculture has a good role to play in reinforcing the development of the economy and sustainable food”.

The European Parliament has also expressed disappointment about agriculture being ignored.