Prospects for the Standard Model Higgs Boson Search in the LEP 2000 Run

A study has been performed of the discovery and exclusion potential of LEP expected in 2000 for the Higgs bosonpredicted by the Standard Model. The tradeoff factors betweenincreasing the luminosity at $\sqrt{s}=204$ GeV and reduced integrated luminosity at $\sqrt{s}=206$ GeVwere studied. It was shown that only in case some evidencefor a signal is observed it might be worth to increase the integratedluminosity at the lower center-of-mass energy, otherwise,LEP should aim at the highest possible center-of-mass energy.The ultimate expected exclusion limit (at the 95\%\ confidence level)of LEP (with $\sqrt{s}=206$ GeV) is estimated to be $m_H\sim$114 GeV.