European Semester 2026: what does it mean for informal carers?
On the 3rd of June 2026, the European Commission published the 2026 European Semester Spring Package. The European Semester process is an annual year-long EU mandatory process that coordinates, monitors, and evaluates Member States’ budgetary and policy reforms and investments: including in recent years a greater focus on care, thanks to the European Care Strategy. It acts as a key vehicle in monitoring countries’ implementation of the European Care Strategy and plays an important role in guiding the use of EU funds and priorities in national budgets.
The Spring Package contains draft Country Specific Recommendations which relate to key areas of concern, such as long-term care. Once agreed with countries, national governments are expected to put the recommendations into practice. These recommendations should be reflected in how countries go forward and develop their national budgets and respective policy reform agendas.
Eurocarers will move forward this summer with assessing how the 2026 Country Specific Recommendations reflect the issues affecting informal carers. Notably with regard to progress made since 2025 and how this relates to the ongoing implementation of the European Care Strategy. In the meantime, our initial analysis is as follows:
Several countries have received Country Specific Recommendations directly on informal carers (e.g. Croatia, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Portugal).
These recommendations primarily focus on issues related to poor access to long-term care services: for reasons such as lack of investment, staff shortages, high costs, and rising demand due to demographic challenges. They note that informal carers are filling the gaps from lack of state provision with severe costs for women’s labour market participation and poverty risks.
The majority of countries received a Country Specific Recommendation related to long-term care. Whilst many countries were informed that they spend too little on long-term care, others were told that they need to make their long-term care system more effective. This is an area that requires careful attention. Cost-efficiency should not lead to justifying austerity measures that lead to degrading quality, access, and affordability of services and an increased reliance on informal carers to provide this missing care. We raise this concern in the context where demographic change is demanding more on long-term public spending, whilst countries’ budgets are simultaneously being tightened by the reprioritisation towards defence, energy crises, and the competitiveness agenda. We need to ensure that long-term care investment can viably be increased and protected across the EU for the interests of those who need it today and for future generations.
Whilst Eurocarers will publish its full analysis later this year, in the meantime, do not hesitate to consult our 2025 policy brief which details the 2025 Country Specific Recommendations and how Eurocarers’ members can use the European Semester process to influence policy reform in their countries.
