Civil society contribution to the next European Semester cycle

This public hearing on "Civil society's contribution to the next European Semester cycle", to be held on Thursday, 12 September 2019, starting at 2:30 p.m., will discuss policy proposals for the next European Semester cycle from a civil society perspective.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is currently working on an additional opinion on the 2019 Annual Growth Survey, to complement and update previous proposals as an input to the 2020 European Semester cycle. Consideration will be given to the fact that, in this year's Country Reports and Country Specific Recommendations, the focus of the semester has shifted towards advancing social convergence in line with the European Pillar of Social Rights, with more attention being paid to regional and territorial disparities, deeper analysis of and focus on investment, and stronger links to EU cohesion policy funds.

Against this background, the EESC is bringing together policy-makers, academics and civil society representatives at EU and national level for an exchange of views. The outcome of this public hearing will feed directly into the opinion and provide timely input for the Commission's work on the 2020 Annual Growth Survey.