‘Overall implementation of EC’s country recommendations has worsened — Bruegel think tank

The implementation of individual recommendations given to each member state by the European Commission has worsened in the last few years, according to an economics study published earlier this month by European think tank Bruegel.

“Low implementation is likely to be a result of the fundamental dilemma facing the EU. National policies have major cross-border implications, making coordination important, but countries take sovereign decisions mostly based on national considerations,” according to the authors of the study titled ‘Is the European Semester effective and useful?’.

Malta was listed among the top five EU member states that implemented its recommendations between 20132017, placing fourth between Slovenia and Spain.

In the last four years, Finland has implemented the majority of its recommendations, followed by the UK and Slovenia in third. Meanwhile, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Hungary, Germany and Bulgaria ranked lowest in their respective recommendations.

Implementation was lowest among countries facing excessive imbalances and that performance varies substantially across countries and policy areas.

Bruegel is a European think tank that specialises in eco- nomics.

Reasons for the decline could include the reduction in market pressure and the changing nature of the policy challenges.

In the first study of its kind, the authors argue that these country-specific recommendations should be focused on key issues of macroeconomic and cross-border relevance.

“In terms of implications for EU economic governance, our results cast serious doubt on the effectiveness of the European Semester and suggest that policy-makers should reconsider it.”