Second training session of the project “Involving SGIs in the European Semester”, hosted by the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions in Stockholm

On 3 May 2022, SGI Europe, with the support of the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR), organised in Stockholm the second training session of the project “Involving SGIs in the European Semester”, co-financed by the European Commission. The meeting, gathering members from all over Europe, was dedicated to the policy contents and reform priorities of the European Semester. It allows for exchanging practices and identifying how to get better involved in implementing the National Recovery and Resilience Plans.

Tomas Björck, Head of SALAR’s Labour Law Unit and President of SGI EUROPE-Sweden, and Guillaume Afellat, SGI Europe’s Senior Advisor on Social Affairs, opened the session, emphasising the importance of policy reforms within the Semester process for SGI to address the digital and green transition, labour shortages, and competitiveness.

The participants exchanged with Jens Matthiesen, Financial advisor at the European Commission Representation in Sweden, regarding the practices and process of collaboration between the Commission Representation and the social partners in Sweden in the framework of the European Semester. Further, experts of the project, led by Inga Pavlovaite, presented the latest EU Semester policy priorities and relevant tools, such as the Annual Sustainable Growth Strategy, the Country Specific Recommendations, and the Recovery and Resilience Facility Scoreboard.

The participants exchanged about key reform features of the labour market and education, skills and training policy areas, bringing inputs from different national contexts. Likewise, they reflected together on the labour market dimension of the National Recovery and Resilience Plans, analysing the main reforms and investments critical for SGIs, and the appropriate methods of reinforcing the participation of the social partners in the implementation of the plans.