国际英语新闻：EU leaders agree on main targets of new 10-year blueprint

BRUSSELS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- European Union leaders Friday set the main targets of Europe 2020, the new 10-year plan for the bloc, and coordinated position for the G-20 summit during their two-day meeting.

Europe 2020, the new blueprint proposed by the European Commission to replace the failed Lisbon Strategy, aims to develop the EU economy based on knowledge and innovation.

It also puts forward a set of clear targets on education, research and development and poverty reduction.

"We have now set the agenda for a smart, sustainable and inclusive Europe," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said at a press conference after the summit.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso attends an interview as he arrives at an European Union leaders summit in Brussels, March 26, 2010.

The EU leaders stressed in the conclusion document that the EU needs a "new strategy, based on an enhanced coordination of economic policies, in order to deliver more growth and jobs."

The leaders agreed in general to the five targets of the new strategy in education, research and development, energy efficiency, climate change, poverty reduction, but left out two clear-cut figures put forward in the original plan by the European Commission.

The European Commission in the orginal plan proposed to help 40 percent of young people have a university degree by 2020 and lift 20 million people out of poverty.

The EU leaders said in the conclusion paper that the EU will improve educational levels, but the European Council will set "the numerical rates" of educational targets in June 2010. The exact target on poverty reduction was also left for the summit in June, saying "further work is needed on appropriate indicators."

To avoid the fate of the Lisbon Strategy, which failed largely due to weak enforcement by member states, the EU leaders also stressed the need for enhancing monitoring of enforcement of the strategy.

"Efficient monitoring mechanisms are key for the successful implementation of the strategy," the conclusion document said.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said at the press conference that setting objectives for the next 10 years is the first step for the EU and more details will be hammered out later before the strategy is formally adopted by the EU leaders at a summit in June.

Apart from the new strategy, the EU leaders also coordinated position at their two-day meeting for the G-20 summit to be held in Toronto in June.

"Rapid progress is required on the strengthening of financial regulation and supervision both within the EU and in international fora such as the G-20, while ensuring a level-playing field at the global level," the EU leaders said in the conclusion document.

Barosso said at the press conference the EU will "give impetus to" the G-20 summit, urging world leaders "not to water down their ambition" at the meeting.

On climate change, another topic at the summit, Herman Van Rompuy,president of the European Union, said that the EU will maintain its level of ambition, but needs to adopt a step-by-step approach.

In the Europe 2020 strategy, the EU maintained its targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020 on the basis of 1990.

The leaders also promised to implement the EU's commitment to provide 2.4 billion euros annually over the 2010-2012 period for fast-start financing, alongside contributions by other key players and in the framework of the implementation of the Copenhagen Accord.

During the first day of the summit, the Eurozone leaders also adopted a standby bailout plan for debt-hit Greece, combining bilateral loans and money from the International Monetary Fund. However, the aid package will only be activated under strict conditions.

President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso hailed the plan, saying the euro leaders have made "the right decision" and created a "safety net" for Greece.