European Semester: coordination can boost growth

Fiscal consolidation goes hand-in-hand with active labour market policies to reinforce economic growth and reform. Reallocating funding from non-productive sectors to other more productive domains, boosting the Single Market, reforming the labour market, reforming the pensions system, adapting the pension age and working time, increasing the productivity of economies and European competitiveness on international markets: these were all mentioned by national and European parliamentarians as possible solutions to the current economic crisis during a debate today on the role of parliaments within the European Semester for economic policy coordination. 

The EPP Group Vice-President responsible for the Relations with National Parliaments, Paulo Rangel, said:

"I would like to underline that a close cooperation between the European Parliament and national parliaments is essential in order to establish the necessary democratic legitimacy and national ownership of the Semester process. Coordination and investment are the keywords that guarantee the success of the European Union growth strategy. During this historical week we should all bear this thought in mind: better coordination can boost growth."

The 'European Semester' is a cycle of economic policy coordination between Member States. For the first time, Members of national Parliaments, parliamentary officials and Members of the European Parliament who sit in the Committees on Economic and Monetary Affairs, Budgets and Employment and Social Affairs are gathering this week to debate possible solutions for sustainable economic growth.

Among the participants of the EPP Group meeting with National Parliamentarians were: Lucinda Creighton, Minister of State for European Affairs, representing the Irish Presidency; Gay Mitchell MEP, Head of the Irish Delegation in the EPP Group; Corien Wortmann-Kool MEP, Vice-President of the EPP Group responsible for Economy and Enviroment; Jean-Paul Gauzes MEP, Coordinator of the Committee for Economic and Monetary Affairs; Marek Ziolkowski MP, Chair of the National Economy Committee in the Polish Senate; Veronica Lope-Fontagne MEP, Member of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs; Andreas Schwab MEP, Coordinator of the Committee for Internal Market and Consumer Protection; Daniel Gross, Director of the Centre for European Policy Studies; Othmar Karas MEP, Vice-President of the European Parliament in charge of Relations with National Parliaments; Elmar Brok MEP, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.