The Europe 2020 Competitiveness Report: Building a More Competitive Europe 2012 Edition

The report finds that while the EU generally outperforms other advanced economies in social inclusion and environmental sustainability, it lags significantly in building a 'smart' knowledge-based economy, particularly compared to the United States. A stark competitiveness divide exists within the EU, with Nordic countries leading and Southeast Europe trailing. The authors argue that long-term prosperity requires addressing these competitiveness weaknesses through structural reforms in innovation, education, and labour market flexibility, warning that failure to do so could lead to a 'lost decade' of growth.

• The European Union trails other advanced economies, most notably the United States, in developing a 'smart' economy based on knowledge and innovation, which hinders its ability to transition to higher value-added activities.
• The EU generally performs better than the United States in terms of social inclusion and environmental sustainability, though it is outperformed by Canada in both dimensions.
• A significant competitiveness divide exists within the EU, categorized into four groups: Nordic Europe (leaders), Western Europe and Estonia, Southern and Eastern Europe, and Southeast Europe (trailing).
• There is a strong positive correlation between a country's ability to build a smart economy and its ability to achieve inclusive and sustainable outcomes, suggesting no necessary trade-off between these goals.
• High public debt in several European countries threatens short-term stability and may erode long-term competitiveness if fiscal consolidation leads to cuts in education, R&D, and innovation.
• The internal market for tradable services remains fragmented, and administrative barriers to the free movement of people continue to hinder overall European competitiveness.

APA

World Economic Forum (2012). The Europe 2020 Competitiveness Report: Building a More Competitive Europe 2012 Edition. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/CSI/2012/Europe2020_Competitiveness_Report_2012.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. The Europe 2020 Competitiveness Report: Building a More Competitive Europe 2012 Edition. 2012. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/CSI/2012/Europe2020_Competitiveness_Report_2012.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=The Europe 2020 Competitiveness Report: Building a More Competitive Europe 2012 Edition |date=2012 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/CSI/2012/Europe2020_Competitiveness_Report_2012.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2012europe, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{The Europe 2020 Competitiveness Report: Building a More Competitive Europe 2012 Edition}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2012}, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/CSI/2012/Europe2020_Competitiveness_Report_2012.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }