Frans Timmermans – Photo EC
(STRASBOURG) – The Juncker Commission presented its third annual Work Programme Tuesday, aiming to “deliver a Europe that protects, empowers and defends”, and a focus on the big challenges that Europe faces.
Outlining the new work programme EC first vice-president Frans Timmermans said the EU executive had made “sound progress on challenges like boosting investment and employment, managing migration and advancing on climate change and the fight against terrorism. But there is still more to do and this year we must deliver agreements on the many crucial proposals already on the table.”
EC president Jean-Claude Juncker said: “We are focusing on the things that matter, concrete actions that improve people’s lives…In the comings weeks I will together with the European Parliament and Council select a number of initiatives of major political importance that should receive priority treatment in the legislative process in the months to come.”
This year’s Work Programme proposes 21 key initiatives, as well as a further 18 REFIT (regulatory fitness and performance reviews) proposals to improve the quality of existing EU legislation and ensure our rules are fit for purpose.
The Commission identifies 34 priority pending proposals made in the past two years where it says swift adoption by the Parliament and Council can make a tangible impact on the ground.
The ten priories include:
- A Youth Initiative, an Action Plan on the implementation of the Circular Economy and a new Multi-annual financial framework, to boost jobs, growth and investment;
- a mid-term review of the Digital Single Market;
- implementation of the Energy Union Strategy with work on low-emission vehicles and mobility;
- implementation of the Single Market Strategy, Space Strategy for Europe and Capital Markets Union Action Plan and making proposals for Fairer taxation of companies;
- ideas for the reform of the EU at 27 and the strengthening of the Economic and Monetary Union;
- pursuing trade negotiations with the EU’s partners while strengthening trade defence instruments;
- pursuing a Security Union to fight terrorism, and aligning rules on protection of personal data and privacy;
- delivering on the European Agenda on Migration;
- presenting a European Defence Action Plan including a European Defence Fund, as well as an EU Strategy for Syria, implementing the EU Global Strategy and Africa-EU Partnership;
- adapting existing laws to the Treaty provisions on delegated and implementing acts and will assess the democratic legitimacy of existing procedures for adopting certain secondary EU acts.
The programme also contains 19 withdrawals of pending legislative proposals which have become outdated, and the repeal of 16 pieces of existing legislation which have become obsolete.
The Commission adopts a Work Programme every year setting out the list of actions it will take in the coming twelve months.
On the basis of the Work Programme, the EU Commission, Parliament and Council work on a Joint Declaration on commonly agreed objectives and priorities for 2017, to turn proposals into action and concrete results.
