Is there flexibility in the European Semester process? Exploring interactions between the EU and member states within post-crisis socio-economic governance

The consequences of the Eurozone crisis has spurred increased coordination of member state public finances at European level. This also entails the scrutiny of socio-economic issues within the framework of the European semester. However, this process also includes aspects of negotiation in which the member states are provided with varying degrees of leeway. In this report, the author analyses the interaction between the EU and four member states – France, Germany, Poland and Spain – within the European semester on issues dealing with socio-economic governance.