Semester Alliance presents its initial assessment of the Semester for Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive EU

11/04/2014 – The EU Alliance for a democratic, social and sustainable European Semester (Semester Alliance) presented its initial assessment of the Semester: Proposals for 2014 Country-Specific Recommendations (CSRs): Progressing on a Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive EU, proposing country-specific recommendations in country fiches, at its launch at the EESC on 07 April 2014. This draws on the work of Alliance partners’ national members, who are attempting to engage in the Semester, particularly through the National Reform Programmes (NRPs) and Country-Specific Recommendations (CSRs) at national level, and represents initial attempts to assess macroeconomic, social, environmental and equality policies being delivered through the Semester and to present combined proposals for CSRs that could help achieve progress towards the social, equality and environmental goals and targets of Europe 2020.

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EAPN launches its proposals for Country-Specific Recommendations (CSRs) for 2014

10/03/2014 – EAPN presents its proposals for CSRs for 2014, based on its national and European-organization members’ assessment. This comes in the week following the European Commission’s launch of the Communication in preparation for the Mid-Term Review of the Europe 2020 Strategy (2010-2020). EAPN’s synthesis report provides an overview of members’ findings on the social impact of the 2013 CSRs, i.e. recommendations of the European Commission to member States and their implementation, and proposes positive recommendations for the different States. The Report highlights the urgent need for the European Semester to deliver results on the Europe 2020 targets if it is to maintain any credibility, within the context of spiraling poverty levels across Europe, recognized by the Commission’s Communication.

European Parliament Economic and Monetary Affairs report on role of IMF troika

12/10/2015 – This paper forms part of a series of nine studies on the role of the European Union in international economic fora, prepared by Policy Department A at the request of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of the European Parliament. It provides factual background information about the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as well as about the EU’s relations with the IMF (both in terms of the IMF’s role in the EU and the EU’s role, representation and impact in the IMF).

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EAPN Response to the Annual Growth Survey Package 2014: ‘Business as usual fails the fight against poverty’ – 10 key recommendations

26/02/2014 – On 13 November 2013, the European Commission adopted and launched the 2014 Annual Growth Survey (AGS) package and EAPN responded to it the next day through a press release, welcoming the proposals in the AGS to strengthen stakeholder involvement, but highlighting its concerns about the ‘business as usual’ approach, with few signs of a move away from counter-productive austerity priorities which are impacting negatively on poverty, exclusion and inequality. EAPN also highlighted the need to re-focus on Europe 2020 and the targets, and to back meaningful stakeholder dialogue to ensure effective policies and reinforced democratic legitimacy. In this paper, EAPN sets out these key messages in more details.