(Brussels 10 May) Next Tuesday, representatives from several European NGOs will get together at a public hearing in the European Parliament, to examine the Europe2020 strategy, and to discuss how to best tackle the glaring absence of civil society from the country specific recommendations (CSRs).
Civil Society representative organisations, (EAPN, EWL, Green Budget Europe, Eurodiaconia, EASPD, Eurochild, Caritas Europa) co-hosted by MEPs from four political parties (Marije Cornelissen, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance; Veronica Lope Fontagné, European People’s Party; Marian Harkin, ALDE; Sergio Gutiérrez Prieto, S&D) will discuss the problems with the Europe 2020 Strategy as it is currently elaborated.
Europe 2020 and the European Semester are now in the third year, and continue to have an increasing role in shaping socio-economic and environmental policies at national level. Driven by economic governance to keep public deficits at bay, the Europe 2020 goals and targets for a smart, sustainable and inclusive recovery urgently require transparent processes to give a voice to Civil Society organisations (CSO)]. It is legitimate to ask how far Member States are engaging national stakeholders in the National
Reform Programmes (NRPs) and responding to the country-specific-recommendations (CSRs). Civil society’s assessment of participation and their proposals for CSRs are a crucial part of this process in order to strengthen the democratic legitimacy of the European Semester and delivery on the Europe 2020 goals, particularly those relating to:
- lifting at least 20 million people out of poverty,
- achieving a 75% employment rate for women and men
- 10% school dropout and
- 20% increase in energy efficiency.
Mary Collins from the European Women’s Lobby, our policy expert on Social and Employment affairs will take part on this on Tuesday next from 9.00 to 12.30 in room P5B001 of the European Parliament. We will be tweeting live from the event, please follow our @europeanwomen account to find out more.
