In this last issue of the year, the Eurodiaconia ‘’European Semester Quarterly’’ (ESQ) presents an analysis of the Annual Growth Survey 2017 and its related documents.  The ESQ4 focuses on the European Semester ‘’autumn package’’, released in November 2017, presenting some of the European Commission economic prospects and policy recommendations for 2017. 

There seems to be a consensus between social actors in saying the Annual Growth 2017 has given more attention to social objectives than any of the previous annual growth surveys before. In many instances, the 2017 package has indeed placed a strong emphasis on social objectives and investment, but the real challenge remains the difficulty in implementing such objectives in a context which, by all other means, concentrates on growth and budget reduction as essential first steps for economic policy coordination. 

This issue of the ESQ looks at the package of documents that will influence the contents of both the upcoming National Reform Programmes and of the 2017 Country Specific Recommendations, featuring a general description of the relevance and contents of the 2017 Annual Growth Survey (AGS), a critical commentary on the impact of the AGS on the fight against poverty and social exclusion as well as an introduction to the Joint Employment Report. As in previous editions, this ESQ features a member interview and an analysis of a relevant Semester stakeholder. 

Find the ESQ here (EN).