0. European semester 2012: Country Specific Recommendations

1. 30 May package
- « Chapeau » Communication on Action for Stability, Growth and Jobs
- 27 Country Specific Recommendations + 1 for Euro-area
- 27 analytical Staff Working Documents + 1 for Euro-area
- 12 In-depth studies (under new Macroeconomic Imbalances Procedure)
- 2 Recommendations to bring DE and BG out of EDP
- 1 Recommendation to lift HU Cohesion Fund suspension
- 27 « thematic fiches » comparing Member States’ performance

2. Action for stability, growth and jobs
EU-level action for growth:
- Europe 2020 strategy
- Economic and Monetary Union (SGP, financial backstops, banking sector, deepened EMU)
- Internal Market (EU patent, services directive, Single Market II proposal)

3. Action for stability, growth and jobs
- Human capital (job-rich recovery, skills, mobility)
- External sources of growth (FTA)
- EU funding of the growth that Europe needs (MFF, structural funds, project bonds, EIB capital increase, …)

4. Action for stability, growth and jobs
Member State level action for growth:
- National reform programmes, end April 2012;
Reports from MS on national consultation process:
AT, SE, BE, FR, NL, BG, CY, DK, EE, HU, LU, SK, PL, RO reported to have had a formal and apparently good consultation process. For AT, SE, BE, FR, NL contributions from social partners/stakeholders are annexed to the NRP
LT, SI, FI seemed to have only had a reduced consultation process
CZ, DE, UK seemed to have had no formal consultation process (but may have informal ones)
ES, MT had no consultation process
- Stability or Convergence programmes
- Commission Country Specific recommendations

5. Action for stability, growth and jobs
2012 Country Specific Recommendations – overview
1) Pursue differentiated growth-friendly fiscal consolidation:
- Deficits are falling, but:
- Improve growth-friendliness of fiscal consolidation;
- Use available fiscal space in countries without excessive deficits
- Pursue pension reform
- Shift tax burden from labour to environment and consumption, reduce tax exemptions
- Fight shadow economy

6. Action for stability, growth and jobs
2) Restore normal lending to the economy:
- Complete restructuring of banking sector, while avoiding excessive deleveraging
- Promote access to finance for SMEs

7. Action for stability, growth and jobs
3) Promote growth and competitiveness:
More efforts are needed to:
- Open up services sector and public procurement markets
- Improve performance of network industries
- Improve business environment
- Promote R&D investment and innovation
- Take steps to meet the 2020 energy targets

8. Action for stability, growth and jobs
4) Tackle unemployment and social exclusion:
- Fight youth unemployment
- Reduce early school leaving, improve training and develop apprenticeships
- Increase labour market participation (e.g. of women, older workers, vulnerable groups)
- Align development of wages with productivity

9. Action for stability, growth and jobs
5) Modernise public administration:
- Improve administrative capacity
- Enhance efficiency of civil justice systems (backlogs, length of judicial proceedings)
- Improve quality of services (eg through e-government)
- Tackle corruption

10. EU recommendations for national action in 2012/13
Note: Recommendations proposed by the Commission in May 2012 for For IE, EL, PT and RO, the only recommendation is to implement existing commitments under EU/IMF financial assistance programmes. More information at:

11. Commitments under the Euro Plus Pact
Note: this table summarises commitments taken by Member States participating in the Euro Plus Pact since Spring 2011.

12. Are we likely to meet our targets for 2020?
EMPLOYMENT 75% of the population aged should be employed
INNOVATION 3% of the EU's GDP should be invested in R&D
CLIMATE / ENERGY A reduction of CO2 emissions by 20%
A share of renewable energies up to 20%
An increase in energy efficiency by 20%
EDUCATION The share of early school leavers should be under 10%
At least 40% of the younger generation should
have a degree or diploma
POVERTY 20 million fewer people should be at risk of poverty

13. For more information