Towards full employment: the EU contribution

The Europe 2020 strategy revolves around three key features that will be decisive in determining Europe’s future success: growth must be 'smart', developing an economy based on knowledge and innovation, it must be 'sustainable', promoting a more efficient, greener and more competitive economy, and it must be 'inclusive', fostering high employment and delivering territorial and social cohesion.

The role of employment and social affairs policy within this vision for Europe cannot be overstated. Amongst the 'flagship' initiatives contained in the strategy, three deal with employment and inclusion: Youth on the Move, the Agenda for new skills and jobs, and the European platform against poverty and social exclusion.

In the special feature in this issue of Social Agenda the writers take an in-depth look at the new skills and jobs initiative, reporting on the thinking behind it as well as on the concrete instruments being put in place to anticipate and monitor the requirements of the labour market and to accurately and effectively match the demand and supply of skills across Europe.

European Commission: DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion: Publications: Social Agenda http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1308&langId=en

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