Ensuring the voice of social services in EU economic policy making
The European Social Network (ESN) was one of the first organisations to recognise the importance of the EU Semester mechanism for building a transformational and inclusive recovery after Covid-19 and to improve the resilience of public social services across the EU. Therefore, ESN was present at an exchange between the European Commission and external organisations on the Semester process to represent the perspective of public social services as the 2022 cycle gets underway.
The 2022 European Semester in focus
The European Semester is the forum for discussing and monitoring EU countries’ fiscal, economic and employment policies and the challenges they face, coordinated by the European Commission (EC). Suspended in 2021 to focus on developing the Recovery and Resilience Facility as part of the EU’s response to Covid-19, the process has resumed for the 2022 cycle. At the meeting, key topics of discussion were the content of the country reports and country-specific recommendations to be published by the Commission in May. Katia Berti, Head of Unit responsible for the European Semester at the European Commission, announced that this year’s cycle will continue to focus on the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights, as well as progress by EU national governments on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. It is expected that the Commission will also focus on gaps which have emerged in the recovery and resilience plans submitted during 2021.
“In the new country-specific recommendations we need to highlight the challenges that are only partially or not addressed in the recovery and resilience plans. We also need to be smart in identifying emerging issues that may not have been recognised yet when the plans were developed,” said Mrs. Berti.
Involvement of civil society
On the issue of civil society involvement in the European Semester, Bart Vanhercke, Director at the European Social Observatory (OSE), noted how civil society has been marginalised in the development of National Recovery and Resilience Plans, compared to the previous EU Semester process. However, Mr. Vanhercke hopes that this trend will be reversed. ‘Now the key test will be whether and how social stakeholders will be involved in the monitoring and implementation of the RRF’ – emphasized Mr. Vanhercke.
How are ESN members involved in the EU Semester process?
Introduced in 2010, the European Semester is the cycle through which the European Commission coordinates the macroeconomic and social policies of national governments, preparing annual reports and recommendations specific to each national government. ESN established a Reference Group to shadow the process in 2014, consisting of ESN members who share awareness of issues social services face at local level, provide policy recommendations to the European Commission on how these issues can be tackled, and raise the profile of social services in European policy-making. The key findings from the group's work in 2020 were published in the report “Investing in Social Services, Investing in Europe. Social Services Essential for Europe’s Recovery”.
In 2021, the Commission produced instead an assessment of EU members’ National Recovery and Resilience plans. ESN Reference Group also switched focus to the NRRPs, analysing which investments were planned for social services. ESN members were also able to share their views and experiences during a webinar in May 2021, which were included in a subsequent ESN report ’Funding Social Services Recovery- Anchoring social services in post-Covid national reform plans.’
Public social services play a crucial role in the economic recovery by supporting the employment, health, and social inclusion of the most vulnerable in local communities across Europe. Investment in public social services to support Europe’s recovery and resilience should therefore be a key part of future recommendations. Promoting a guarantee to care for those in need as well as skills development and training for social services and social care professionals will raise quality standards across the EU and contribute to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights.