The World Economic Forum’s Europe 2020 Competitiveness Report focuses on measuring Europe’s performance in becoming smart, inclusive and environmentally sustainable. It is the first in a series to measure Europe’s performance against its own Europe 2020 strategy and closely follows the Europe 2020 seven flagship initiatives: enterprise environment, digital agenda, innovative Europe, education and training, labour market and employment, social inclusion and environmental sustainability.

Through the methodological framework of the Europe 2020 Competitiveness Index, the report measures the extent to which the 27 EU Member States and six accession and candidate countries have in place the institutions, policies and services to make Europe a smart, inclusive and environmentally sustainable society. The report indicates that Europe as a whole trails world leaders in terms of building a knowledge-driven economy, although there are significant differences among countries.