Flanders and the European Semester

The European Semester is the framework for integrated surveillance and coordination of economic and employment policies across the European Union. Since its introduction in 2011, it has become a well-established forum for discussing EU countries’ fiscal, economic and employment policy challenges under a common annual timeline.

Flanders has been following the European Semester very closely since 2011 and is actively participating in the bilateral dialogues between the European Commission and Belgium. Taking ownership is done in particular through the drafting of a Flemish reform program in response to the country specific recommendations. This makes Flanders the only region in the European Union to have compiled its own reform program since the start of the European Semester.