Par le Haut Ou Par les Pays‐Bas? French and Dutch Approaches to European Social Policy Coordination Compared*

European leaders often seem to refer to the importance of social dialogue and the effectiveness of the European Semester as two sides of the same coin. This article wishes to contribute to a deeper understanding of the link between social dialogue at the national level and the effectiveness of the European Semester. It does so by comparing French and Dutch approaches to social dialogue engagement with respect to social policy coordination between 2011 and 2020. The findings indicate that meaningful engagement of social partners in this process does not lead to more effectiveness in terms of speed and number of the CSRs implemented. The article suggests to broaden the definition of effectiveness in order to better appreciate the progress made, and to contribute to a more comprehensive assessment of the European Semester.