The European Semester and its health and social dimensions

For over a decade, the European Semester has been the EU’s main framework for coordinating economic and social priorities. Introduced in 2010 to strengthen fiscal discipline, it has gradually evolved into a broader instrument that aims to balance economic stability with fairness, growth with wellbeing, and prosperity with sustainability. Milestones such as the European Pillar of Social Rights, the integration of the Sustainable Development Goals, and the link to the Recovery and Resilience Facility have contributed to this shift.

EuroHealthNet has closely followed and engaged with the Semester throughout its evolution, consistently calling for stronger alignment between economic governance and social and public health priorities. While progress has been uneven, the Semester increasingly recognises social policy as a foundation for resilience and shared prosperity.

The 2025 Semester marks a new phase, shaped by reformed economic governance, the rollout of the Social Convergence Framework, and a renewed emphasis on competitiveness. This raises critical questions about the EU’s vision of competitiveness and whether it fully accounts for health, equity and planetary wellbeing, particularly as health inequalities persist across Europe.

This soon to be released paper reflects on these shifts, exploring how the EU’s new emphasis on competitiveness’ is affecting the European Semester process, and how this in turn is (re)shaping the balance between economic and social objectives.