The European Semester is an annual cycle where the European Commission assesses policy challenges in the 27 Member States and presents recommendations on how to address these. Social policy issues have become increasingly present in recent years.
The recommendations 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.
On the 3rd of June, the European Commission released what is known as the Spring Package. This includes the Country Reports and Country-Specific Recommendations for each Member State. The Country Reports give a detailed assessment of social and economic issues the country is facing as well as what reforms and initiatives have taken place to address them. The Country-Specific Recommendations then use these to deliver a short set of recommendations on how to improve the situation.
In this paper, we will explain what the outcomes of the 2026 Spring Package has been regarding issues faced by persons with disabilities. We will summarise the analysis that appears in the Country Reports of each Member State, as well as any relevant references in the Country-Specific Recommendations.