Involvement of the national social partners in the European Semester 2017 : social dialogue practices

The latest European Semester cycle, covering the period 2016-2017, has highlighted a range of issues regarding the quality of involvement by the social partners in the elaboration of the 2017 national reform programme (NRP), as well as in the implementation of the country-specific recommendations (CSRs). This report looks at the different social dialogue practices across Member States and at the role played by the national authorities in enabling the involvement of employer organisations and trade unions in policy reforms. While some improvements have been reported, the challenges and limitations faced - such as insufficient time allocated to consultation and lack of visibility - need to be addressed in order to enhance the effective participation of social partners in the European Semester.