On 17 and 18 October, DG ECFIN hosted a seminar for civil society representatives in EU Member States on the European Commission’s Economic Agenda in the context of ECFIN's Communication Strategy. DG ECFIN welcomed civil society representatives from 20 Member States who participated in 6 sessions addressing a range of topics. Participants were particularly interested in the European Semester and the European Pillar of Social Rights, the Ageing Report, and social inequalities and European integration. They appreciated that employment and social policies have become more embedded in economic policy thinking since the crisis, and that the Commission has stepped up the monitoring of imbalances. Participants also discussed the need to ensure that reforms 2.0 will continue to have a social dimension and that the European Pillar of Social Rights remains at the heart of the political agenda for the next Commission. ECFIN speakers at the event found the discussions with civil society representatives who are very close to their constituents extremely fruitful. The discussions not only helped ECFIN to understand how policy recommendations are received and perceived in the different Member States, but also enabled ECFIN to fill information gaps and dispel some misunderstandings.