国际英语新闻：EU leaders to meet to address pressing challenges

EUROPE 2020 STRATEGY

A top priority for EU leaders at the summit will be the new 10-year blueprint, which has been dubbed the Europe 2020 strategy and was unveiled by Barroso on March 3.

The new plan is supposed to replace the Lisbon Strategy, a 10-year blueprint adopted in 2000, which was seen to have failed to meet its target to transform the EU into "the most competitive knowledge-based economy" by 2010.

The new strategy proposes to develop an economy based on knowledge and innovation, and put forward a set of clear targets on education, research and development and poverty reduction. It also pushes for stronger economic governance of the EU.

Despite the consensus that the bloc is in urgent need of a new development plan, the headline targets and the enforcement measures proposed by the Commission have received mixed reactions.

At their monthly meeting in mid-March, EU finance ministers doubted a key element of the strategy, which stipulated that 3 percent of the EU's GDP should be invested in research and development.

The ministers said that at a time when most member states face high public deficits and debt, a more result-oriented approach should be adopted.

Moreover, while accepting the idea of enhancing economic governance of the EU, Merkel, as leader of the largest economy within the eurozone, was not keen on issuing policy warnings to member states in implementing the new strategy. She said that could politicize the budget process.

In an invitation letter addressed to EU heads of state and government on Tuesday, Van Rompuy said, "We need to reach agreement on its main elements, including governance as well as the nature and scope of the EU headline targets, which will guide the implementation of the strategy."

Analysts say it is a challenge for EU leaders to reach consensus on the headline targets and an effective way to monitor enforcement of the new strategy by member states.