A strategic goal was set in March 2000 by the Lisbon European Council that Europe will be the most competitive and knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustaining economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion by 2010. The heads of state and government agreed upon these three concrete common objectives: (1) improving the quality and effectiveness of education and training systems in the European Union (EU); (2) facilitating the access of all to education and training systems; and (3) opening up education and training systems to the wider world. The commission recommends the adoption of the following European benchmarks for EU member states, all effective as of 2010 and based on year 2000 statistics: (1) to halve the rate of early school leavers; (2) to halve the level of gender imbalance among graduates in mathematics, science, and technology and increase the number of graduates; (3) to halve the percentage of low-achieving 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics, and scientific literacy; (4) the average percentage of 25-64 year olds with at least upper secondary education will reach 80% or more; and (5) the EU-average level of participation in lifelong learning will be at least 15% of the adult working age population and in no country will it be lower than 10%. (Includes statistical data and trend analyses of selected indicators and criteria for identifying the three best performing countries.) (MO)