A mid-term assessment of Europe 2020 from the standpoint of EU cities and regions

The Europe 2020 strategy is Europe's current agenda for growth and jobs, setting ambitious targets for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Although some references to territorial issues appear in 'Europe 2020', the strategy does not offer an insight into the implications of the proposed actions on regional and local development, nor does it present any concrete guidelines for the territorialisation of its priorities. The current report seeks to assess the relevance and adequacy of the design of the strategy and the value-added it has provided to local and regional authorities (LRAs). In particular, existing bottlenecks in the design, governance structure and budgetary planning of the strategy are identified, which have limited the progress of the strategy by failing to mobilize and tap into the wealth of regional competences and knowledge. Special emphasis is placed upon the key partnership role of LRAs and the need to better engage them in the context of defining priorities, and delivering and monitoring progress under the Europe 2020 strategy. The conducted study incorporates a desk analysis of existing monitoring and evaluation publications on Europe 2020, a broad online consultation with LRAs and other stakeholders, interviews with relevant stakeholders as well as input from a series of conferences and surveys on the seven Flagship Initiatives and dedicated workshops and seminar conducted by the Committee of the Regions (CoR) in view of the mid-term review of the strategy. This report serves as input for the process leading up to the forthcoming mid-term assessment of Europe 2020 from the standpoint of cities and regions.