The European Commission considers that the economic and social priorities identified in the 2015 Annual Growth Survey (investment, structural reforms and fiscal responsibility) remain valid in 2016. Taking into account the progress made and new challenges emerging, the following three priorities have been updated and proposed for 2016: re-launching investment, structural reforms to modernise our economies, and responsible public finances.
The Commissioner presented to the Committee the key steps of the 2016 European Semester and noted that better integration of the Eurozone countries with closely interconnected economies in the process of the European Semester is sought in 2016. The Roadmap for the European Semester covers two phases of the European Semester, the first being oriented more towards the tools available on the European Union level and comprising the period before the European Council meeting of March 2016 and the second being national and comprising the period between the European Council meetings in March and June 2016.
Representatives of the Ministries of Economy, Finance, Social Security and Labour, and Health attending the meeting presented to the Committee the information on the progress in implementing Council recommendations for Lithuania in 2015.
The Committee resolved to continue deliberations on the European Semester in the spring session in 2016 and to invite a more active involvement of other Committees of the Seimas in the process of the parliamentary scrutiny of the subject.
Alongside the Annual Growth Survey, the European Commission submitted the Alert Mechanism Report, the draft Joint Employment Report, a Commission Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the establishment of the Structural Reform Support Programme for the period 2017 to 2020 and Recommendation for a Council Recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area seeking a better integration of the euro area and national dimensions of EU economic governance. The package builds on the latest data from Commission's Autumn Economic Forecast and reflects the new approach to the European Semester set out in the Commission's Communication on steps towards completing the Economic and Monetary Union.
