Published every year, the report analyses the state of working Europe explaining with the aid of statistics and graphs the main trends in terms of Europe’s macro-economic situation, its labour market development, the situation of wages and collective bargaining, and worker participation.The focus of this year’s Benchmarking report is on the lessons learned – or not learned – from eight years of economic crisis and austerity policy. The findings point to policy failures and to the need to redefine alternatives in order to get Europe back on a sustainable growth path. The deterioration of the labour market and social situation in the EU, along with the appointment of a new Commission last autumn, have led to some renewed policy initiatives that seek to restore growth as a means of addressing the situation. The most notable of these initiatives is the Annual Growth Survey with its three pillars: the Investment Plan, fiscal responsibility and structural reforms. ETUI researchers will present the data and conclusions of the Benchmarking 2015 report in these three areas and Commission representatives will have the chance to comment on these findings.AgendaModerator: Torsten Müller, Senior researcher ETUI and coordinator of the Benchmarking reportInvestment plan: Martin Myant, Senior Researcher and Head of Unit European Economic, Employment and Social Policy ETUIComments: Miguel  Gil-Tertre, Member of the Cabinet of Jyrki Katainen TBCFiscal responsibility: Sotiria Theodoropoulou, Senior Researcher ETUIComments: Karl Pichelmann, DG ECFINStructural reforms: Agnieszka Piasna, Researcher ETUIComments: Robert Strauss, DG EMPLFinal comments: Patrick Itschert, Deputy General Secretary ETUC   A light lunch will be offered after the event. At 13h30 you are also most welcome to attend the high-level conference Europe’s dilemma: austerity revisited or a new path for sustainable growth which will take place in the same room.