6.1.1. The mechanisms to promote smart, sustainable and inclusive growth

Europe has developed a specific and rather unique combination of economic progress, social policies aimed at a high level of social cohesion, humanistic shared cultural values embracing democracy and the rule of law, human rights, respect and preservation of diversity, as well as the promotion of education and science, arts and humanities as fundamental drivers of social and economic progress and well-being. The constant quest for economic growth carries a number of important human, social, environmental and economic costs. A smart, sustainable and inclusive growth in Europe implies substantial changes in the way growth and societal well-being are defined, measured (including through the measurement of progress beyond the commonly used GDP indicator), generated and sustained over time. Research will analyse the development of citizen participation, sustainable lifestyles, cultural understanding and socio-economic behaviours and values and how they relate to paradigms, policies and to the functioning of institutions, communities, markets, firms, governance and belief systems in Europe and their relations with other regions and economies. It will develop tools for a better assessment of the contextual and mutual impacts of such evolutions, compare public policies against the variety of challenges across Europe, and analyse policy options and decision making mechanisms in areas such as employment, taxation, inequalities, poverty, social inclusion, education and skills, community development, competitiveness and the internal market with a view to understanding the new conditions and opportunities for greater European integration and the role of its social, cultural, scientific and economic components and synergies as sources of comparative Union advantages at world level. Demographic change due to ageing societies and migration movements will be analysed in terms of its implications for growth, the labour market and well-being. In this context, to be able to tackle the challenge of future growth, it is important to take into account the different components of knowledge, focusing research on learning, education and training issues, or on the role and place of young people in the society. Research will also develop better tools for assessing sustainability impacts of different economic policies. It will also analyse how national economies evolve and which forms of governance at European and international level could help prevent macro-economic imbalances, monetary difficulties, fiscal competition, unemployment and employment problems and other forms of societal, economic and financial disorders. It will take into account the growing interdependencies between Union and global economies, markets and financial systems and resulting challenges for institutional development and public administration. Against the background of the European public debt crisis, emphasis will also be put on research to define the framework conditions for stable European financial and economic systems.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-11-04 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.