Building a European care regime: EU governance of national care provision through the European Semester

Abstract

This study explores how the European Union (EU) governs care provision in member states through the European Semester and its Country-Specific Recommendations (CSRs). Introduced after the economic crisis, the Semester has became a targeted tool for shaping national care policies and regimes, complementing EU measures like family leave directives and childcare targets. Our qualitative analysis of CSRs from 2011–2024, focused on policy orientations and policy frames, shows that the European Semester has been pivotal in the EU’s strategy to shape care policies and systems in member states—a field that belongs to member state competences but is essential to the EU’s social and economic objectives. The European Commission has consistently used the Semester to encourage care-related reforms. While social investment frame aimed at promoting women’s employment is prominent, a cost-cutting approach implying market solutions and family responsibilities remains strong for long-term care. We suggest that the European Semester aims to align national care regimes, fostering a European model based on a fiscally sustainable balance between unpaid care provided by families and care provided by states and markets and underpinned by a commodifying script.