Social and circular priorities in the new EU fiscal rules era: Analysis of the 2023 and 2024 Semester cycles
The European Semester is a crucial monitoring instrument for national compliance with key EU policy objectives, such as the European Pillar of Social Rights and developing a social and circular economy.
RREUSE’s annual analyses of the European Semester focus on the prominence of measures supporting the social and circular economy in Member States’ annual plans and the European Commission’s Country Specific Recommendations (CSRs).
RREUSE has conducted an annual European Semester analysis since 2018. The joint analysis of the 2023 and 2024 cycles allows to reflect on how the new 2024 fiscal priorities have impacted the European Semester. For instance, the paper found increased attention to the social economy in the 2023 cycle. However, the 2024 cycle signalled a steep deprioritisation of the social and circular economy.
The analysis also highlights encouraging social and circular economy policies that emerged across both cycles. Furthermore, it underscores some of the EU Commission’s recommendations to Member States that can support social enterprises active in the circular economy. Lastly, it puts forward key recommendations for EU and national policymakers to unlock the European Semester’s potential for ambitious social, economic, and environmental policies.