TUSLO Preparatory meeting and DG EMPL consultation meeting in preparation of country reports & country specific recommendations 2023

As a part of the dialogue in the implementation of the European semester, the ETUC has arranged the annual meeting to exchange with the country-desks at the European Commission in preparation of country reports and country specific recommendations 2023. The meeting will take place on the 13^th of March 2023 from 2:00 to 5:30 pm in a virtual format (Webex platform).

The overall events will be in English, however, when meeting the country-desk of your country is possible to exchange in your own language.

The core debate would be revolved around the social performance of member states in order to address urgent social gaps or imbalances as identified in the Joint Employment Report 2023 (find it here: https://commission.europa.eu/system/files/2022-11/COM_2022_783_1_EN.pdf), and in the social scoreboard (that you will find on page 38 from the same pdf).

10 countries will be put under review. We suggest to select 8 countries that according to the social scoreboard record the widest gaps in the social field. We are also suggesting to focus on 2 better performing countries, like Sweden and France, that struggle to improve their social performances during the last 12 years under the #EU_SDG8 Index of the ETUC.

According to these criteria our tentative list is:

ROMANIA SPAIN ITALY GREECE BULGARIA

LATVIA GERMANY SWEDEN FRANCE PORTUGAL

ETUC members from countries listed above are kindly asked to confirm their presence on the 13^th of March as soon as possible.

The tentative list is open to additional ETUC members from other countries that want to have access to this exercise. They can contact the Semester Team at the ETUC writing to mcilento@etuc.org and gcasale@etuc.org.

The exchange with Country desks is aimed at influencing the country reports and the country specific recommendations that your country will receive at the end of the Semester 2023.

In preparation of the event, we ask you to prepare the following information:

• Do you agree on the social imbalances that the scoreboard identify for your country?
• What are in your view the real social gaps or imbalances that your country has to address?
• Please specify what your country should do (reforms, investments, policy drivers) to meet the Headline targets on employment, education and training and fight against poverty.

A preparatory meeting will be held the 13^th of March from 9:30 to 11:00am.