On Monday 22 May, the European Commission adopted its recommendations to the Council for country-specific recommendations asking Member States to pursue structural reforms, boost investment and strengthen their public finances. The recommendations form part of the 2017 European Semester, the annual cycle of economic policy coordination, where the Commission analyses the EU Member States' plans of budgetary, macroeconomic and structural reforms and provides them with recommendations for the next 12-18 months.

Justice and equality policy at EU level contributes to boosting Europe's competitiveness and creating an investor-friendly environment that generates more inclusive, robust and sustainable growth and jobs. In this field, the Commission has presented its country-specific recommendation in the following areas:

• Improving the effectiveness of the judicial systems;
• Making insolvency frameworks more efficient;
• Participation of women in the labour market;
• Inclusion of Roma;
• Addressing the poverty risk of children.

Such structural reforms are not only crucial for increasing economic productivity and competitiveness in Europe, but also for building more inclusive societies and fighting poverty. To learn more about the Commission's recommendations to the Council for country-specific recommendations in the areas of justice, consumers and equality policy, read our factsheet.

For more information:

• Factsheet
• Press release
• Country-specific recommendations