Are the member states ready for the Next Generation EU? A study on the Country-Specific Recommendations

This paper assesses the institutional interactions between the European Semester and the Next Generation EU, with the view to establish whether the member states are ready to implement this unprecedented stimulus package. By explaining the national compliance with the country-specific recommendations, we investigate how these provisions have been changed with regard to digitalization of the public administration and environmental sustainability. These policy areas, indeed, constitute the two pillars of the Next Generation EU. Our unique dataset comprises 112 sub-recommendations addressed to member countries in the period between 2010 and 2019. Using a mixed-method approach, which combines case study analysis with statistical analysis, preliminary results show that member states are rather reluctant in implementing digital and green recommendations. However, when the environment is salient for the general public, governments are more responsive and are more likely to adhere to the European recommendations.