Tomorrow, the European Parliament will adopt a resolution to wind up today's debate on the Europe 2020 strategy for growth over the next 10 years. Liberals and Democrats, who have been at the forefront in calling for a more robust approach to the economic growth strategy, fear that the current Europe 2020 strategy is doomed to fail.

The success of the strategy is solely based on the willingness of the Member States to implement the objectives that are agreed by the government leaders in a European context. Unfortunately the failed Lisbon strategy has shown that a strategy without any sanctions mechanism does not lead to results. Therefore, the ALDE is advocating the use of the community method which gives the European Commission a steering role.

Furthermore, ALDE urges the Commission to come forward with bolder and more concrete legislative proposals to make the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy a reality. The Commission should also be empowered with more policy tools to use a "carrot and stick" approach in order to encourage Member States to implement the agreed targets.

Lena EK (Sweden, Centerpartiet), ALDE spokesperson on the 2020 strategy, added: "Today there is a significant gap between the ambitions declared in the Europe 2020 strategy and the financial resources needed to attain the goals. In the draft of the 2012 budget and in the upcoming revision of the multi-annual financial framework the Commission therefore needs to clearly identify and make visible the expenditure related to the strategy. Without money and concrete legislation in the right place, there will be no growth and no jobs and the strategy will fail."

At their Spring Summit in March, the EU Heads of State will discuss the further development of the Strategy.

For more information, please contact / Pour de plus amples informations, veuillez contacter:
Corlett Neil - Tel:+32 2 284 20 77 Mob:+32 478 78 22 84
Heyer Axel - Tel:+32 2 284 47 03 Mob:+32 485 10 33 39    
Web: http://www.alde.eu