About: country-specific recommendations
Commission defends gradual return to fiscal discipline to avoid ‘mistakes’ of austerity
The European Commission could start controlling deficit and debt levels from next year, once the recession is over. But the road to balancing public accounts again will avoid the “mistakes” of the last crisis, the institution said on Wednesday (20 May).
Five takeaways from the EU’s economic recommendations to member states
While the public finances of all EU member states are now officially out of the “red zone”, the European Commission on Wednesday (5 June) still had tough economic policy recommendations for Spain, Italy, Belgium, Greece and Germany.
Moscovici: Italy, Portugal, Spain fiscal progress ‘good news’
Portugal, Italy and Spain became yesterday (22 May) illustrative examples of the new period Europe enjoys. The executive congratulated Lisbon and Madrid for turning their economies upside down, just one year after they became the first countries that breached the fiscal rules, while it gave its blessing to Rome’s adjustments, one of the eurozone’s troublemakers. VideoPromoted content
“We need a European social dialogue,” Schulz says
"If we want a social market economy in Europe, we need a European - I repeat - a European social dialogue," said European Parliament president Martin Schulz on Thursday during a high level conference on social dialogue in Brussels.
Commission seeks to revive battered social dialogue
In a move to give new impetus to social partners’ relations, seen as instrumental in the new economic governance set up, the European Commission launched on Thursday (5 March) a new start for social dialogue.![[Photo: Présidence de la République]](https://www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/08/hollande_juillet_2014.jpeg)
Hollande urges ECB to ‘inject liquidity in the economy’
The European Central Bank and Germany must do more to boost growth and fight a "real deflationary risk" in Europe, French President Francois Hollande told the newspaper Le Monde in an interview.![José Manuel Barroso, European Commission President, gives a press conference on the 2014 country-specific recommendations. Brussels, 2 June. [Photo: EC]](https://www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/06/barroso_semester_2014.jpeg)
Brussels tells France, Italy to keep budget promises
The European Commission told France and Italy on Monday (2 June) to stick to their pledges to curb spending while reforming their economies, showing little sign of wavering on EU budget rules.
European Semester’s increased target on healthcare reform
The European Commission's country-specific recommendations for economic reforms in member states are increasingly targeting the healthcare sector, but they are not always working, experts say.
France is the ‘sick man’ of Europe, says EU think-tank
A controversial study by The Lisbon Council, a Brussels think-tank, says France is the sick man of Europe and singles out resistance to change as being responsible for a large part of the country's woes.
ECB ‘interested’ in bailing out Slovenia
The European Central Bank is interested in Slovenia applying for aid from the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the eurozone's bailout mechanism, according to German business daily Handelsblatt. VideoPromoted content
European Commission on a potential bailout for Slovenia
The European Central Bank is interested in Slovenia applying for aid from the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the euro zone's bailout mechanism, according to German business daily Handelsblatt. Slovenia has been in recession since last year and is struggling to avoid an economic bailout. On Friday Slovenian officials said they would liquidate two small banks to ensure the financial stability of its banking system.
Leaders pressed to tame their egos at EU summit
A two-day EU summit opening in Brussels today (27 June) comes against the background of harsh verbal exchange between France and the European Commission over what role the EU executive should take in the new economic governance architecture that is being put in place to avert a repetition of the eurozone debt crisis.
‘No crisis with Brussels’, says French EU minister
INTERVIEW / Ahead of an EU summit in Brussels, Thierry Repentin has dismissed as bluster the recent spate of attacks by French ministers against the European Commission. EURACTIV France reports.
Commission spells out reforms to ‘move EU beyond the crisis’
The European Commission tabled yesterday (29 May) its “country-specific reports” with recommendations to capitals to boost competitiveness and make their economies more dynamic. In an apparent shift from austerity, this year's recommendations call on countries to be “more ambitious” in spurring growth.
France placed under EU reform scrutiny
The European Commission told France on Wednesday (29 May) to cut labour costs, reform its pension system and open up its protected markets in exchange for a two-year respite to bring its budget deficit under 3% of GDP. French President François Hollande replied swiftly, saying “the Commission cannot dictate what we should do”.