Following the adoption of the country-specific recommendations in July 2019 by the European Council, Eurodiaconia asked its members for their opinions on how well the selected priorities reflected the situation in their countries. Their thoughts, combined with the draft recommendations they suggested after the publication of the Winter Package, have provided the basis for the position paper published today, “Boosting sustainable and inclusive growth through the European Semester.”
This document assesses the country-specific recommendations as a whole, including how well they reflect the social challenges across the EU and if they properly reflect the ambitions of the European Pillar of Social Rights.
Ensuring a social market economy that promotes inclusive growth is a priority for our members and this is demonstrated by their engagement in the provision of care, work integration, and related social services for unemployed and disadvantaged persons. As a result, Eurodiaconia has been involved in the European Semester since its very beginning in 2011 and has been publishing inputs and reactions at the various stages of the cycle.
Eurodiaconia welcomes this year’s country-specific recommendations and is pleased that the European Pillar of Social Rights is having an impact on the general direction of the recommendations. There appears to be a clear effort to address social aspects and we warmly welcome the direction of travel towards seeking inclusive and sustainable economic growth across the EU. Nevertheless, greater progress must be made on the implementation of the recommendations by member states if the Pillar is going to retain its importance and relevance in social and economic policy-making.
To know more about our members’ view on the 2019 country-specific recommendations, please check our latest position paper.