One year after the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) came into force, the Commission looks at what has worked well in the Investment Plan, what can be improved, and how to advance. Eighteen months after President Jean-Claude Juncker launched the Investment Plan for Europe, and a year after the start of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the Commission takes stock of achievements to date.

Those suffering the most from the great recession of 2009 were arguably young people. Many of those leaving school to enter the world of work saw their chances on the labour market dramatically reduced. From 2008 to 2013, the employment rate for the 15-24 age group dropped from 37.3% to 32.1%. Over the same period, the unemployment rate increased from 15.9% to reach the historical peak of 23.7% in 2013.

Jobs, growth and investment are one of the Juncker Commission's 10 key priorities. The Investment Plan for Europe was presented on 26 November 20141 and initiated concerted and targeted action to stimulate financing for investment, with the support of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF) – together, the EIB Group –, as part of the virtuous triangle of structural reforms, responsible fiscal policies and investment.

It also announces next steps on the Joint Initiative on Standardisation (JIS), which aims to reinforce the partnership between the European institutions and the standardisation community. From the size of A4 paper to GSM technology, standards reduce costs, promote innovation, ensure interoperability between different devices and services, and help companies to access markets. Largely voluntary and industry-driven, European standards need to keep pace with the changing economy, the increasing importance of services, and the digital revolution.

On May 30th the Commission takes part in the informal meeting in Amsterdam on the Urban Agenda for the EU. Also present will be 28 Ministers in charge of urban matters, along with representatives from other EU Institutions and representatives of European cities. The aim of the meeting is to endorse the 'Pact of Amsterdam' which establishes the Urban Agenda for the EU and lays out its key principles.

The Exploratory opinion on "More sustainable food systems" (Rapporteur: Mindaugas Maciulevičius), requested by the Netherlands presidency of the EU, was adopted by the European Economic and Social Committee at its plenary session on 26 May 2016. The opinion calls for the development of a comprehensive food policy in the EU and for an implementation plan to promote sustainable, resilient, healthy, fair and climate-friendly food systems, integrating food-related policy objectives and involving all relevant stakeholders in the food supply chain.

Research and innovation are changing rapidly. Digital technologies are making science and innovation more collaborative, international and open to citizens. The Open Science goal is materialising in the development of a European Science Cloud and open access to scientific data generated by Horizon 2020 projects

A project development workshop under the EU Design Days aims to match European designers with projects applying for EU funding – in sectors such as Energy, ICT and Smart Cities. Design is not just about the way things look, it is also about the way they work – and how they are developed. The Commission aims to increase the use of design for innovation and growth across Europe and recognizes that design is a key discipline to bring ideas to market, in other words to amplify project impact.

The European Commission joins forces with Member States and stakeholders in a further step to fight social dumping and to ensure fairness on the European labour market. Today, a new European Platform on undeclared work has been launched. The network aims at turning undeclared into declared work, thus ensuring social protection for millions of Europeans who lose out through various kinds of risky job arrangements, including dependent work relationships hidden as self-employment.