Cooperatives have their say in Europe 2020 strategy review

In 2010 the EU launched the Europe 2020 strategy for promoting smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. After four years a review process has been launched in order to design the strategy for the coming years.

In its contribution to the consultation, Cooperatives Europe highlighted how much the overall impact of the strategy has been so far non-decisive: the mostly non-binding targets and the fact that many of its pillars are out of the EU’s direct responsibility have certainly not contributed to make Europe 2020 a pivotal strategy.

According to Cooperatives Europe, the EU 2020 strategy should provide an orientation to all EU policies and initiatives. To achieve this, a much wider involvement of stakeholders in the design and implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy is necessary.

Klaus Niederländer, director of Cooperatives Europe said: “We need a more ambitious Europe, one that focuses on citizens needs and on their human development, through information, education and active participation. The Europe 2020 strategy must be the backbone of any EU policy and strategy. To do so, however, the EU must put in place a more participatory and inclusive approach to the decision-making process, so that all stakeholders can really be involved in its design and implementation.”  

Read our contribution to the public consultation on the Europe 2020 Strategy.