2020 STRATEGY : MEPS WANT MORE REFINED AND SPECIFIC TARGETS.

• Position: Members of the Parliament

During the European Parliament's plenary session of 15 December, the President of the EU executive, Jose Manuel Barroso, was quizzed by MEPs on the EU's 2020 strategy, upping pressure on the next Commission to propose a better policy framework than the Lisbon 2010 strategy. Barroso said that he was all in favour of more involvement by the member states and added that he was encouraged by the exchange of views the European leaders held on the new strategy: "I hope the discussions in the coming months as well as the special summit that will be organised in February will focus on reinforcing the role of the member states in the EU's 2020 strategy," he said,

Barroso also referred to a 2004 report drafted by Former Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok, which at the time he strongly backed. However, the "member states unfortunately refused to take up the suggestions," he said. Kok was mandated by the March 2004 European Council to lead a group of experts with the objective of reviewing the Lisbon strategy. Kok, back then, chopped the Lisbon 2010 strategy into little pieces, arguing that the Lisbon strategy was too broad to be understood. "Lisbon is about everything and thus about nothing. Everybody is responsible and thus no-one. The end result of the strategy has sometimes been lost. An ambitious and broad reform agenda needs a clear narrative, in order to be able to communicate effectively about the need for it," he said. All member states have to take ownership of Lisbon and the Commission must be prepared to name and shame those that fail as well as fame' the ones that succeed was one of Kok's suggestions in 2004

While the...