The point of view of organised civil society in the EU Member States on national reform and investment proposals and their implementation (2024-2025 European Semester cycle)

Key points

• This information report is based on a wide consultation of national economic and social councils, social partners and civil society organisations from EU Member States on reform and investment measures in the Member States, particularly those based on the country-specific recommendations (CSRs), the medium-term fiscal structural plans (MTFSPs) and the progress made on implementing the national Recovery and Resilience Plans (RRPs);
• Organised civil society (OCS) was generally aware of the priorities identified in the CSRs and among the most important there were: fiscal and economic policy, social policy and inclusion, green transition and sustainability, administrative capacity, and the implementation of the RRPs;
• OCS called for clearer and more structured consultation processes through formalised, structured and transparent consultation procedures, for a timelier involvement, for greater transparency in the decision-making process, for increased capacity of social partners and civil society through resources, funding and training, for more frequent, substantive, and meaningful dialogues and for ensuring that consultations led to concrete actions and results;
• To ensure that future consultations with stakeholders are meaningful and contribute to the quality of MTFSPs, OCS called for improving stakeholder involvement in planning, implementing and monitoring the MTFSPs, making consultations more structured, transparent and impactful, and ensuring that OCS receive clear feedback. OCS also emphasised the need for formalised consultation processes with rigorous criteria and real follow-up. Some also advocated clear guidelines and timetables for consultations;
• Regarding the implementation of the RRPs, OCS called for improved coordination, planning and resource allocation to overcome the delays, efforts to reduce administrative burdens, such as simplified processes, reducing unnecessary documentation and adopting digital solutions, as well as the need for training and capacity building to improve project management and administrative processes;
• OCS highlighted several lessons learned from the RRF to be applied to other EU financial instruments, such as: reducing administrative burdens, simplified procedures, the involvement of social partners and civil society organisation (CSOs), flexibility in implementing the instrument, the need for better coordination, planning and monitoring.