Yesterday saw the publication of the Autumn Package by the European Commission. This marks the start of the 2020 European Semester cycle which is the cycle of coordination of economic and social policy across the EU.

The 17th of December marks the launch of the the Autumn Package, which is made up of several reports. These are: the Annual Sustainable Growth Strategy (previously the Annual Growth Survey), the Euro area recommendation, the Alert Mechanism Report, the Proposal for a Joint Employment Report, the Single Market Performance Report and the second annual monitoring report on the implementation of the 2018 Structural Reform Support Programme.

The Annual Sustainable Growth Strategy (ASGS) is the Commission’s main tool for setting the general economic and employment priorities for the EU at the beginning of each European Semester cycle. Those priorities will form the basis for the policy recommendations addressed to each Member State at the end of the Semester cycle.

This year’s ASGS focuses on the issue of sustainability and is built around the four dimensions of environmental sustainability, productivity gains, fairness and macroeconomic stability. These priorities will run throughout the entire Semester Process and – with the integration of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into the Semester – it is intended that the new growth model will work for people and the planet.

Eurodiaconia have been engaged with the development of the European Semester process since its inception in 2011 and have provided the European Commission with analysis and feedback from our members at all stages of the cycle.

 

 

To read more on the Autumn Package, please visit the European Commission website.

If you would like to know more on the issues, please read our recent publication, providing comments on the 2019 Semester and looking ahead to the 2020 cycle, or our final recommendations for the European Commission.