The recommendations from the European Semester are non-binding. However, Member States have an obligation to report to the Commission on how they are planning to address them.

As of the next long-term EU budget, from 2028-2030, the European Semester will take on another role. The analysis and recommendations the Commission delivers to the Member States will form the basis for where EU countries should spend their EU funds as a priority. More specifically, they will shape the National and Regional Partnership Plans that Member States must create to explain how they will use EU funding.

EDF works actively on influencing the Spring Package in particular. In the Spring Package, the Commission delivers documents to the Member States including the Country Reports and the Country Specific Recommendations. The Country Reports outline in detail issues observed in the Member States as well as assessing recent policy initiatives that aim to address them. The Country-Specific Recommendations take this analysis and transform them into a short number of recommendations for how the Member States must act to resolve remaining problems.

Every year we analyse the outcomes of the Spring Package and what it means for persons with disabilities.