To wrap up 2021, Eurodiaconia hosted a webinar for members on the European Semester process. The aim of the event was to offer members an understanding of the upcoming 2022 Semester cycle, how they can engage with it at a national level and how we can support them at a European level.
The webinar began with a summary of our report “Promoting Shared Prosperity in the European Semester”, in particular, our social policy priorities for the 2022 Semester: strengthening social services, supporting long-term care services, building on the Child Guarantee, supporting young people and addressing poverty in all its forms. We then presented our reaction to the 2022 Autumn Package which is encouraging in some respects, especially with regards to the language used, emphasising sustainability, fairness and inclusivity. However, there are limitations, especially the extent to which the different Social Pillar Principles are addressed and the application of the Social Scoreboard. We highlighted 4 key areas in which we can see room for improvement: recognising & supporting the work of social service providers, taking decisive action on long-term care, effectively ensuring that no one is left behind and strengthening structured civil dialogue.

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