This year's country-specific recommendations include many with implications for public services with, in particular, an increased number calling for more cost effective health and long-term care provision. Below is a summary of some of the main observations for each group of recommendations.
Public budgets
The emphasis is still very much on fiscal consolidation, with the focus on reducing spending. Although nine countries are encouraged to make their fiscal consolidation “growth-friendly”, only Germany is specifically encouraged to increase public investment. In a few other cases the approach was more about not reducing spending on education, innovation and research and development. In contrast, EPSU would call for a significant boost to public investment across Europe to help underpin what is still a fragile recovery.
Taxation
It is positive to see at least 13 countries being encouraged to improve tax collection, compliance and/or the efficiency of tax administration, however, EPSU’s concern is whether they can do this effectively when under pressure from austerity measures, with our latest research showing over 55000 jobs cut from tax administrations across Europe since 2007. It is disappointing and surprising that only six countries are urged to tackle tax fraud, when this is a major problem faced across the EU and solving it could produce a significant boost to public finances, with the Commission also recognising the estimate of the €1 trillion that is lost each year to tax fraud.
Health and long-term care
This year 19 countries get a recommendation relating to health, hospital and/or long-term/elderly care. Unfortunately, the recommendations continue to be in the shadow of fiscal consolidation and so the emphasis is very much on “cost-effectiveness” and “sustainability” and in only five cases do the recommendations also acknowledge the crucial importance of accessibility and/or affordability and only one of these mentions quality of care.
Childcare
Ten countries get recommendations on childcare which are positive in that they generally call for improvements to the accessibility and affordability of childcare although only three include a reference to quality. One concern is that the recommendations say nothing about the provision of good quality early years education.
Energy
Among the recommendations on energy for 18 countries there are several different elements including action to improve energy efficiency and increase cross-border connections. Several countries are also pressed to increase competition.
Public administration
The recommendations cover a range of issues from procurement and corruption to the workings of the judiciary and the capacity and independence of the civil service. However, a major theme running through the recommendations is the call to reduce administrative “burdens” on business.
Public employment services
11 countries have recommendations referring to public employment services which mainly focus on improving the capacity and/or efficiency and effectiveness of the service.
Wages and collective bargaining
The country-specific recommendations also include references to wages, wage-setting systems and collective bargaining and the ETUC Collective Bargaining Committee has released a statement focusing on the continuing attacks on collective bargaining and the assessment of wages only in relation to competition, rather than as contributing to demand, decent incomes and equality.
Click here for the country-specific recommendations and other relevant documents
The full document will list of recommendations:
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