Eurodiaconia is pleased to invite its members, partners, and stakeholders to its online conference titled “Rebalancing Economic and Social Priorities – The Semester at the Centre”, taking place on the 24th of September from 10 am – 12.30 pm.
The European Semester as we know it has been completely reshaped – 2021 will see no country reports and no country-specific recommendations. Following the outbreak of COVID-19, the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the Semester are now integrally linked. The previously non-negotiable spending rules that were the backbone of the Semester have been shelved. Investment is now the order of the day. To access recovery funding, national recovery and resilience plans must be centred on reforms based on the European Semester recommendations. The Semester is now supposed to be aligned to the ambitions of the Green Deal and is also consistently referred to as the vehicle for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the European Pillar of Social Rights.
In our conference, we will explore the evolution of the European Semester and what the recent changes to the MFF and recovery fund will mean. What will the 2021 Semester cycle look like? With green investment now the order of the day and spending rules shelved, can the European Semester remain true to the Stability and Growth Pact? Do the new green objectives of the recovery funds sufficiently integrate the social objectives of the European Pillar of Social Rights or the Sustainable Development Goals? Can the Semester ever properly reflect the aim of creating a social market economy that works for people and the planet?
Interested parties, please find more information about the event in the agenda and register.
If you have any questions, please contact our Policy Officer Laura Rayner at laura.rayner@eurodiaconia.org.