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.
The new EU Semester Alliance is a broad coalition bringing together 16 major European civil society organisations and trade unions, representing thousands of member organisations on the ground, at European, national, regional and local levels within the EU. The Alliance, coordinated by EAPN, aims to support progress towards a more democratic, social and sustainable Europe 2020 strategy, which can deliver on the social and environmental targets and equality commitments, through strengthening civil dialogue engagement in the European Semester at national and EU levels. To further this work, the Alliance has received funding from the European Commission under the framework of a Joint Action for an initial period of 1 year. (PROGRESS/EaSI).
The Alliance was launched at a hearing in the EESC on 7 April 2014. See here the programme, a presentation introducing the Alliance and a presentation with the Key Messages from the Joint analysis of the CSRs
More information about the Alliance can be found here, under Our Alliances, and on its blog.
See also: Press release 7 April 2014: New EU Alliance calls for a Social and Sustainable Europe
