How to build on the increasing focus on care in the European Semester 2019?
A new Eurocarers’ briefing is out.
How can Eurocarers’ members make a meaningful use of the European Semester process, for advancing their advocacy and project work? This new Eurocarers’ briefing details the many hooks at our disposal in the Semester documents, for each country.
Why looking at the Semester?
The European Semester is the annual process through which EU countries coordinate their economic policies and address the common economic challenges facing the EU. It has progressively incorporated employment, health and social policy elements, as well as the principles of the Pillar of Social Rights as proclaimed by the European Union in 2017, hence becoming more and more relevant to Eurocarers’ – and civil society organisations’ – mission. This has been proved in the 2019 edition, which shows a growing focus on informal care and long-term care.
Importantly, the EU Semester process is also a guide to how EU Funds should be used in each country so that they contribute effectively to the agreed objectives.
How can Eurocarers’ members use it?
This year, as in previous years, the sustainability of health and long-term care systems in the current context of demographic transition remains of fundamental concern across the EU. Against this backdrop, more attention is geared to informal carers as main providers of care. The negative impact of informal care responsibilities on women’s participation in the labour market is clearly considered as a key issue, particularly against the backdrop of insufficient employment rates across the EU. Informal care is also mentioned in relation to access to health and long-term care services.
The briefing provides members with a concrete list of actions that can be taken to use the Semester leverage to engage with public authorities and discuss the policies and investments required to support our collective mission.
