Introduction to the European Semester: Coordinating and monitoring economic and fiscal policies in the EU

Abstract:

The European Semester is a framework for the coordination of economic policies across the European Union that was established after the European sovereign debt crisis.

This paper aims to provide a simple but comprehensive introduction, explaining the main steps of the Semester from November to July each year. It also provides a short review of the academic and institutional debates around the Semester, before closing with the priorities in the relevant areas identified by the new European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen.