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Europe 2020 targets
To measure progress in meeting the Europe 2020 goals, 5 headline targets have been agreed for the whole EU.
This limited set of EU-level targets is translated into national targets 
[307 KB] 
in each EU country, reflecting different situations
and circumstances.
The 5 targets for the EU in 2020
- 1. Employment
- 75% of the 20-64 year-olds to be employed
- 2. R&D
- 3% of the EU's GDP to be invested in R&D
- 3. Climate change and energy sustainability
- greenhouse gas emissions 20% (or even 30%, if the conditions are right) lower than 1990
- 20% of energy from renewables
- 20% increase in energy efficiency
- 4. Education
- Reducing the rates of early school leaving below 10%
- at least 40% of 30-34–year-olds completing third level education
- 5. Fighting poverty and social exclusion
- at least 20 million fewer people in or at risk of poverty and social exclusion
Click here to access all the Europe 2020 indicators on the Eurostat website
Features of the targets
- They give an overall view of where the EU should be on key parameters by 2020.
- They are translated into national targets [307 KB] so that each Member State can check its own progress towards these goals.
- They do not imply burden-sharing – they are common goals, to be pursued through a mix of national and EU action.
- They are interrelated and mutually reinforcing:
- educational improvements help employability and reduce poverty
- more R&D/innovation in the economy, combined with more efficient resources, makes us more competitive and creates jobs
- investing in cleaner technologies combats climate change while creating new business/job opportunities.
