• Barroso’s new 10-year plan

    The Commission president José-Manuel Barroso has unveiled a new 10-year plan for ‘smart, sustainable and inclusive growth’ in the EU, as a follow-up to his Lisbon plan. Barroso said he wanted the EU’s 27 members to avoid divergences in growth and unemployment to help prevent the risk of a future financial crisis.

    He reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to cut carbon dioxide levels by 30%, based on their 1990 levels by 2020 ‘if conditions are right’. Some environmental organisations criticised the plan for failing to identify biodiversity as a priority.