Thematic study group on economic and fiscal governance of the euro area (GEA)

Given the difficult economic context over the last years, when the need to deepen the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) became apparent, the EESC has put much emphasis on the improvement of the economic and political governance mechanisms for the euro area and the Member States willing to join it.

One of these mechanisms is the Council's annual recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area – a document of strategic importance within the European semester, which provides orientations for the national reform programmes of the euro area Member States and their country-specific recommendations. The EESC regularly draws up opinions with a specific focus on the key fiscal, economic, social and financial priorities of the euro area as a whole.

To ensure continuity of the EESC's work in this field, a thematic study group on economic and fiscal governance of the euro area (GEA) has been set up. The group works under the auspices of the ECO section and is called upon to draft the EESC's opinions on the economic policy of the euro area as follow-up to, or in anticipation of, the draft euro area recommendations published by the Commission.