European Anti-Poverty Network: The European Semester must become a strong, democratic instrument that can build a better Social Europe and a European Union worth fighting for
On Thursday 12 January, EAPN (European Anti-Poverty Network) and Member of the European Parliament Sergio Gutiérrez Prieto jointly hosted a seminar in the European Parliament: Can the Semester help build a better Social Europe?
The seminar aimed to review how well the European Semester is working in terms of its delivery on social rights, poverty and participation and to debate what changes are needed to ensure progress towards a more Social Europe.
The event came at a timely moment with the adoption of the 2017 Annual Growth Survey and the European Commission’s upcoming proposal following the public consultation on the European Pillar of Social Rights. The key questions that were raised are: can the European Semester become a positive instrument to promote Social Europe? Will it change its narrative and move towards a more balanced economic and social agenda? How will the European Pillar of Social Rights be implemented and mainstreamed in the Semester? Can the EU become more accountable to citizens? What can be done to increase the impact of civil society engagement as well as national and European Parliament in the European Semester and EU policy-making?
Sergio Gutiérrez Prieto opened the Seminar by stating that a more social European Semester is not only possible, it is absolutely necessary, because what distinguishes Europe from the rest of the world, is our social model.
