Progress report on the implementation of the Council Recommendation of 20 September 2016 on the establishment of National Productivity Boards

Summary:

Report presented on 27 February 2019 by the European Commission as part of the 2019 European Semester winter package.

Further information:

The Council of the European Union adopted a Recommendation in September 2016, inviting the Member States of the euro area to establish National Productivity Boards by March 2018. The Recommendation was addressed to euro area Member States, but non-euro area Member States were also encouraged to identify or set-up similar institutions.

The productivity boards were envisaged as objective, neutral and independent institutions regarding analysis and content that could investigate the productivity challenges and contribute to evidence-based policy-making. Based on the common characteristics and tasks of such boards, each Member State could decide upon the exact set-up of its own productivity board.

The Council Recommendation also invited the European Commission to prepare a progress report on its implementation and suitability by 20 March 2019. This report fulfils that mandate. It is based on the replies to a survey sent by Commission staff to the appointed productivity boards and to the members of the Economic Policy Committee in December 2018.

The report provides an overview of productivity and competitiveness developments in the Union and the euro area, describes the state of play on the set up of productivity boards as of end 2018, and summarises the collaboration of productivity boards and the role of the Commission.