The scope of this contribution is to give a regional practitioner’s perspective and overview (period 2010-2015) concerning the increasing impact of the European Semester (ES) on (1) the governance mechanisms in Flanders (2) the cooperation of Flanders with the federal level and (3) the articulation of Flemish interests towards the EU (use of direct and indirect channels). The Department of Public Governance and the Chancellery (Flemish administration) plays a major role in this interplay between Flanders, the federal level and the European Union.
Since the start of the ES Flanders developed both at Flemish political and administrative level a number of mechanisms so that the ES can be closely monitored. This leads to an increasingly deepening of the ES in Flanders. A key instrument is the Flemish Reform Programme (FRP). It consists of measures to achieve the realization of the Flemish Europe 2020 targets and it provides a Flemish response to the country-specific recommendations (CSR’s) that yearly are directed to Belgium. In the framework of the ES also the social partners, (supra)local authorities and the Flemish Parliament are closely involved in the drawing up of the FRP.
There are intensive cooperation mechanisms between the federal level and Flanders in the framework of the ES. The FRP is at the basis of the input by the Flemish authorities for the national reform programme (NRP). The drafting Committee (administrative level) and a Policy Monitoring Committee (political level) play a paramount role. By doing so, the NRP includes the priority measures of the federal government and the governments of the regions and communities and the FRP is also included as an annex to the NRP. Flanders is closely involved in the bilateral meetings between the European Commission and Belgium that are focused on the implementation of the CSR’s of Belgium.
Alternative section: S05
