The ETUC is calling on governments to prioritise tax justice, following today’s publication of the ‘Spring Package’ wave of fiscal recommendations to member states by the European Commission.    Politicians who supported strict spending rules must take the responsibility to meet them by taxing corporations making record profits - not making struggling workers and pensioners pay through new austerity measures.

Commenting on the national spending plans approved today by the European Commission, ETUC Confederal Secretary

Joint statement by the ETUC, SGI Europe and SME United, calling for a factual and material involvement of social partners in the economic governance and the EU Semester The REGULATION (EU) 2024/1263 of 29 April 2024 on the effective coordination of economic policies and on multilateral budgetary surveillance states that the involvement of social partners, among other relevant stakeholders, in the European Semester is key to ensuring national ownership of economic and fiscal policies as well as transparent and inclusive policy-making.

With the publication of final reports including the Report on Minimum Safeguards, the Platform on Sustainable Finance of the EU is shutting down. The ETUC appreciates the committed and open-minded participation of different stakeholders and the constructive and engaged work of the Chairs.

ETUC Resolution on the Social Imbalances Procedure for the EU Adopted at the virtual Executive Committee Meeting of 16-17 March 2022

ETUC ASSESSMENT OF AUTUMN PACKAGE AND ETUC PRIORITIES FOR THE EUROPEAN SEMESTER 2022 Endorsed at the virtual Executive Committee Meeting of 8-9 December 2021

ETUC resolution for Recovery and Social Progress 2022 Adopted at the virtual Executive Committee Meeting of 5-6 October 2021

Annex 2 to the General Secretary Communication item 5 of the December 9-10 Executive Committee Adopted at the virtual Executive Committee Meeting of 9-10 December 2020 ETUC assessment of the European Semester Autumn Package On the 18th of November the European Commission presented the autumn economic policy package, including:

Position de la CES sur l’évaluation de la stratégie annuelle 2021 pour une croissance durable Adoptée lors de la réunion virtuelle du Comité exécutif des 28 et 29 octobre 2020 ÉVALUATION DE LA STRATÉGIE ANNUELLE 2021 POUR UNE CROISSANCE DURABLE (ASGS) BRÈVE ANALYSE DES ENJEUX OUBLIÉS DANS L’ASGS 2021

ETUC position on the Assessment of the Annual Sustainable Growth Strategy 2021 Adopted at the virtual Executive Committee Meeting of 28-29 October 2020 ASSESSMENT OF THE ANNUAL SUSTAINABLE GROWTH STRATEGY (ASGS) 2021 A QUICK ANALYSIS OF CHALLENGES OVERLOOKED IN THE ASGS 2021

Brussels, 30 March 2020 To Executive Committee For information to ETUC Member Organisations Dear Colleagues, Please see attached the position paper on the 2020 European Semester - Autumn Package adopted at the Extraordinary Executive Committee on 9-10 March 2020. Stay healthy, Liina Carr Confederal Secretary    

Commenting on the European Commission’s ‘Annual Sustainable Growth Strategy’ published today, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) called for higher EU and national public investment to meet the needs it identifies for social rights, climate action and to tackle precariousness. “New money is needed to carry out the many good things written in the Strategy  about poverty, precariousness and the environment” said Liina Carr, Confederal Secretary of the ETUC.

Commenting on today's European Commission Autumn Economic Forecast, ETUC General Secretary Luca Visentini said: “The Commission’s economic forecast shows Europe rests on the edge of another recession despite the fact that workers’ living standards still haven’t recovered from the last financial crisis. Even the good overall employment rate is based on a rise in precarious work.

Commenting on the widely leaked and reported Sibiu declaration, Luca Visentini, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation said: “We can support all 10 principles, although they are very general and contain no concrete proposals for action. “The statement in support of European unity, democracy and rule of law is useful in these days of populist, strong-man and anti-European politics. It is a pity no mention is made of dialogue with social partners and civil society.

Commenting on today’s European Commission Annual Growth Survey, Katja Lehto-Komulainen, Deputy General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) said: “It is too early for the EU to celebrate the end of the crisis. The fact is that total investment and total hours worked are still below pre-crisis levels. Too many new jobs are part-time, temporary or precarious and in-work poverty has not decreased.

Commenting on the ‘country specific reports’ issued by the European Commission today, ETUC Deputy General Secretary Katja Lehto Komulainen said  “It is progress that the European Commission is calling for more public investment and higher wages in some countries including Germany. It is very damaging for the Commission to be pressing again for yet more austerity and budget cuts in other countries, and to limit pay rises and increased public investment to countries with budget surpluses is a real missed opportunity.

EU economic policy-making – known as the ‘European Semester’ - comes to a climax with the annual ‘Country Specific Recommendations’ which are due to be published today by the European Commission.   The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) supports the emphasis placed this year by the European Commission on tackling inequality, and expects the ‘Country Specific Recommendations’ to feature concrete proposals to do so.   In particular, the ETUC expects the European Commission draft Country Specific Recommendations to  

Commenting on the European Commission’s autumn economic forecast, Veronica Nilsson, Deputy General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) said “Global uncertainty and a weak and unequal recovery, providing too few and precarious jobs, are creating the conditions for a social and political storm that could blow away any modest progress in Europe’s fortunes. “It is a gathering storm which has to be deflected through a determined change in economic course.

Adopted at the Executive Committee Meeting of 14-15 December 2016 The European Semester is the annual cycle of economic policy guidance and surveillance for the economic governance of the EU. Member States coordinate their economic and social policies - in areas that often fall under their exclusive competence – within the Council and the Eurogroup. The intergovernmental dimension is dominant, as the decision-making power resides in the governments’ hands.

UK referendum The ETUC calls for Brexit vote to be a wake-up call to the EU to offer workers a better deal. Specifically, the ETUC calls for decisive action to  ensure this is not the start of the break-up of the European Union, and does not damage jobs and workers’ rights. tackle working people’s deep discontent in the EU by creating a fairer and more equal society, investing in quality jobs, good public services and real opportunities for young people. Migration The ETUC calls for