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Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

European Semester

The European Semester is the EU governance framework for the coordination and surveillance of economic, fiscal, employment and social policies within the Union. The Semester is an annual process whereby Member States align their national policies with the objectives and rules agreed upon at EU level.

As regards its employment and social aspects, in line with Article 148 TFEU, every year the Commission proposes:

  1. The annual Joint Employment Report (JER), which provides a thorough analysis on the implementation of the Employment Guidelines and the state of employment, skills and social inclusion in the EU, notably through the monitoring of key employment and social indicators and the progress towards the related 2030 EU and national targets.
  2. Guidelines for the Employment Policies of the Member States (Employment Guidelines), which stress common EU priorities based on the current socioeconomic context
  3. Country-specific recommendations (CSRs), which identify priorities for policy action at national level. The Commission’s proposals for country-specific recommendations are supported by dedicated country reports, analysing Member States’ economic and social policies and key challenges.

Since 2017 the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights has constituted an overall compass for identifying challenges and priorities within employment and social policies as well as setting EU headline targets on employment, skills and poverty reduction.

The Commission’s proposals are discussed and finalised in the Employment Committee (EMCO) and the Social Protection Committee (SPC), ahead of their adoption by the Council of the EU. Once the Council has addressed country-specific recommendations to the Member States, alongside the Commission, EMCO and SPC monitor their implementation via dedicated multilateral surveillance activities.

Article 150 of the Treaty (TFEU) prescribes that EMCO, in fulfilling its mandate, shall consult management and labour. In this context, EMCO/SPC conducts twice a year exchanges with social partners including a structured dialogue ahead of important Semester deliverables. Meetings and exchanges are also regularly taken place with civil society.. 

Beyond employment and social aspects, more information is available on the European Semester corporate webpage.