The Euro-Mediterranean Summit of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions aims at promoting greater understanding of the main issues affecting organised civil society in the Euromed region and at discussing the common challenges they face.

The 2015 European Semester kicked off last November with the Annual Growth Survey, which outlined the new Commission's three-pillar jobs and growth strategy: boosting investment, accelerating structural reforms and pursuing responsible, growth-friendly fiscal consolidation. In February, the Commission published a series of country reports in February, analysing Member States' economic policies, which are summarised in a Communication. The reports include in-depth reviews of the 16 countries identified in November as experiencing macroeconomic imbalances.

With the onset of the crisis, employment rates and especially youth employment and youths' labour market performance deteriorated quite rapidly in the EU. A chart featured in the Employment and Social Situation Quarterly Review of June 2015 showed that the worst seems to be over, but it remains to be seen whether this trend reversal is confirmed.

The European Commission has launched today a first stage consultation with EU social partner organisations on how to improve work-life balance and reduce obstacles to women's participation in the labour market. This consultation follows the recent withdrawal of the Commission's 2008 proposal to amend the Maternity Leave Directive.

Ex-ante assessments are mandatory for managing authorities setting up or continuing a financial instrument in the 2014-2020 programming period. It is particularly useful for SME-related financial instruments. Assessments highlight markets failures and financial gaps, they also estimate the potential added value and provide a solid base for a proposed investment strategy with clear targets and expected results.

On 2nd of December 2015, the Various Interest Group will hold a conference on macro-regional cooperation, called Intermediary Europe at the Heart of the EU2020 Strategy: Bringing Europe closer to citizens. The conference is organized in partnership with the European Parliament and will be held in the former EP Hemicycle Robert Schuman. Chaired by President of Group III Luca Jahier, the conference calls for an active involvement of civil society organizations in the Europe 2020 reform process.

The Interreg MED Programme is pleased to inform you that the first call for Horizontal projects of the 2014-2020 programming period is now open to programme priority axes 1, 2 and 3 and their specific objectives. For a detailed description of contents of programme specific objectives and the horizontal projects modalities, including information on possible actions, beneficiaries and target groups, please refer to section 2 of the Interreg MED Cooperation Programme adopted by the European Commission on 2nd June 2015 and to the relevant Terms of Reference. Under this call a project proposal must focus on only one programme specific objective (or only one sub-thematic in the case of the priority axis 1).

On 27 November Professor Dominique Foray from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne will deliver a lecture with the following title: A Simple Policy Idea with Great Impact: Smart Specialization Strategies in the EU. The presentation by Prof. Foray will be followed by a response by an invited discussant, Prof. Frank van Oort, and by questions from the audience. The lecture will take place at the premises of the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy on 27 November 2015 from 16:00 to 18:00. Academics, staff from DG REGIO and other Commission services, other EU institutions as well as from the Member States' representations and regional offices are welcome to participate!

KEPA's European Projects Department executives visited Nicosia, Cyprus on November the 3rd and the 4th, and participated in events and workshops promoting Design, in the frame of "Design for Europe" project.

The Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy has finalised the topics of the first call under the Urban Innovative Actions initiative.