Localising the European Semester - joint social dialogue project in the local and regional government sector

EPSU - CEMR project Localising the European Semester 23 March 2018, Namur

(6 April 2018) The European Semester provides a framework for the coordination of economic policies across the European Union. It allows EU countries to discuss their economic and budget plans and monitor progress at specific times throughout the year. As part of the Semester national governments receive recommendations regarding a wide range of policies. Social partners are more and more involved in the European Semester process, especially at cross-sectoral level. However there is also a growing need to involve sectoral social partners. Given that 76% of all the European Semester recommendations to Member States are territory-related, local and regional government social partners have a clear role to play. This is why EPSU and CEMR as social partners have launched a new project backed with EU funding to raise awareness and engagement in the Semester decision-making process. 

The kick off seminar was organised on 23 March in Namur, with the support of EPSU affiliate CGSP Admi. Over the next two years EPSU and CEMR members will meet people from the national and European level to discuss how we can best engage local government social partners  in the European semester. These meetings will help us produce guidelines and tools: in fact, at the end of the project, we will produce a handbook for the involvement of local governments and trade unions in the European Semester. Our discussions will also help define policy priorities for local and regional governments. It makes sense for local governments to take part in the decision-making process of something that has a strong, direct impact on them. On top of that, by including local government, the European Semester would be much closer to citizens.  

For further information about the project and the follow-up documents to the Narmur meeting please see: