The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the Europe 2020 strategy, the EU’s long-term growth and jobs plan. The consultation will be open until October 31. Through this public consultation, the Commission is seeking the views of all interested people and organisations on the Europe 2020 strategy.

The aim of the consultation is to draw lessons from the first four years of the strategy and to make sure it acts as an effective post-crisis strategy for growth and jobs in Europe. It covers the scope, nature, instruments, ownership and delivery of the Europe 2020 strategy, and will provide important evidence for the mid-term review of the strategy, scheduled for 2015.

In March, the Commission laid the foundations for the public consultation by publishing a communication, ‘Taking stock of the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth’, analysing how the implementation of the strategy is advancing at EU and national level.

It found that progress on the 2020 targets has been mixed. The EU is on course to meet or come close to its education, climate and energy targets, but – given the magnitude of the challenges – it is off course on its employment, research and development and poverty reduction goals. However, the results and forecasts vary widely across member states.

The Commission will draw on the contributions it receives during the public consultation when it presents proposals for the mid-term review of the Europe 2020 strategy early in 2015. This will be followed by a discussion at next year’s spring European Council.