EUROPEAN
COMMISSION

Strasbourg, 17.10.2023
COM(2023) 638 final

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN
PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL
COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
Commission work programme 2024
Delivering today and preparing for tomorrow

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1. Delivering today and preparing for tomorrow
‘Together, we have shown that when Europe is bold, it gets things done. And our work is far
from over, so let’s stand together. Let’s deliver today and prepare for tomorrow.’ European
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, State of the Union speech, 13 September 2023.
Next June, Europeans will take part in the continent’s biggest democratic exercise. Among
the more than 400 million people eligible to vote for the new European Parliament will be
many young people who are exercising their democratic rights for the first time – including,
in five Member States, 16- and 17-year-olds.
The results will set Europe on its path for the subsequent five years and beyond, with the
election coming at a crucial juncture in Europe’s history.
We are faced with a number of epoch-making challenges and opportunities. From the
climate and biodiversity crises to the digital revolution and artificial intelligence; from Russia’s
brutal invasion of Ukraine to the ensuing energy price and cost of living crises; from migration
to ensuring economic growth and competitiveness.
At the start of the mandate, this Commission laid out an ambitious agenda for a stronger and
more resilient Union. We committed to bold action to be the first climate-neutral continent
and preserve Europe’s natural environment, to lead the way towards a human-centred and
innovative digital transition, to boost our economy while ensuring social fairness, inclusion
and prosperity, to reinforce our responsible global leadership, to protect our citizens and our
values, and to nurture and strengthen our democracy.
The world is a very different place compared to 2019, however. As a Union, we have had to
react and adapt in the face of unprecedented challenges, remaining united in our responses
and refusing to back away from delivering on our ambitions.
We have accelerated the twin green and digital transitions, put in place the landmark
NextGenerationEU, strengthened the EU’s role as a global leader and promoted the values that
lie at the heart of our societies, such as democracy and the rule of law. Through our Economic
Security Strategy, we seek to reap the benefits of the EU’s economic openness, while
minimising risks arising from increased geopolitical tensions and accelerated technological
shifts.
The clock is now ticking on our work to finalise the remaining key legislative proposals
presented by this Commission to ensure that citizens and businesses can take full advantage
of our policy actions. To this end, in the coming months, the Commission will support the
European Parliament and the Council in their efforts to reach agreement on pending legislative
proposals.
To allow sufficient focus for this task, and with most of the necessary legislative framework
promised under this mandate already in place, this work programme contains a limited
number of new initiatives that deliver on existing commitments or respond to emerging
challenges.
The EU’s economy has continued to show resilience despite the challenges we have faced
supported by our efforts to strengthen our energy security, a resilient labour market and the
easing of supply constraints.

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The European Green Deal, our world-leading effort to tackle climate change and biodiversity
loss and Europe’s growth agenda, remains a central part of the Commission’s work. While the
main focus is now on implementation, we are coming forward still this year with proposals
on the protection of animals during transport, preventing microplastic pollution, improving
forest monitoring and a mobility package. We will also maintain our efforts to set the course
towards a human-centred, sustainable and more prosperous digital future with the Digital
Decade.
NextGenerationEU will remain key to ensuring secure, affordable and clean supplies of
energy, the competitiveness of European industry, social and territorial cohesion and the
transition to a net-zero, circular and nature-positive economy. The Commission will support
all Member States in accelerating the implementation of their recovery and resilience
plans, in line with the country-specific recommendations under the European Semester,
including their REPowerEU chapters. Early next year we will present an interim evaluation on
the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility.
To promote more jobs and investments in Europe we will also continue work to accelerate
the deployment of renewable energy while keeping energy prices under control, to ensure
supplies of key strategic commodities such as critical raw materials and clean hydrogen, and
to reduce administrative burden, in particular in relation to reporting in line with our strategy
to boost the EU’s long-term competitiveness.
At the same time, we need to finish building an economic governance framework fit for the
challenges ahead. This means finding agreement on the Commission’s proposals on reforming
governance rules and strengthening debt sustainability and on promoting sustainable and
inclusive growth through reforms and investment.
Together with the Belgian Presidency, the Commission will convene a Social Partner Summit
in Val Duchesse to discuss the challenges facing our labour markets, workers and businesses,
including from skills and labour shortages, and artificial intelligence.
The challenges over the past years have underlined the strengths and capabilities of our Union.
But they have pushed the EU budget to the point of exhaustion despite its in-built flexibilities
and extensive reprogramming. To counter this, we tabled a proposal to reinforce the longterm EU budget to be able to address the most imminent needs, which provides for a targeted
increase in EU spending to deepen our support for Ukraine, finance our action on migration,
bolster the Union’s capacity to respond to heightened economic and geopolitical instabilities,
humanitarian crises and natural disasters, and boost investments in strategic technologies to
foster long-term competitiveness.
In line with the negotiations on the long-term EU budget for 2021-2027, we put forward an
adjusted proposal for new own resources to help finance the repayment of NextGenerationEU
borrowing.
The New Pact on Migration and Asylum remains the structural response the EU needs to
tackle migration challenges in the future. Its adoption is a key priority as work needs to start
already next year to prepare for its swift implementation.
With the brave resistance of the Ukrainian people against the invading Russian forces
continuing unabated, the EU will not waver in its solidarity with Ukraine. So far, the Union

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and its Member States have provided, in a Team Europe approach, EUR 82 billion in total
support, including humanitarian aid, military equipment and training, material goods for
civilian use, including generators, school buses, medical items and evacuations, rebuilding
cities in a high-quality, sustainable and inclusive way, help for children and to rehabilitate
damaged schools, and economic support. This support is provided in coordination with our
international partners within the Multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform for Ukraine
launched in January 2023 following a decision of G7 leaders. The Commission hosts the
secretariat of the platform that facilitates close coordination among international donors and
financial organisations and ensures coherent, transparent, and accountable support.
The EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes have helped Ukraine export over 57 million tonnes of
agricultural goods and almost 45 million tonnes of non-agricultural products, and import
goods the country needs. Through the Joint Coordination Platform, the Commission will spare
no efforts to facilitate the timely and stable delivery of Ukrainian agricultural products to global
markets.
The Commission condemns Russia’s decision to terminate the Black Sea grain initiative and
will continue to support all efforts to mitigate security and safety risks to shipping in the Black
Sea. The Council adopted the Commission’s proposal to extend the temporary protection for
people fleeing Russia’s aggression against Ukraine until 3 March 2025. Together with the
CARE and FAST-CARE initiatives, this will provide certainty and support for more than 4
million persons enjoying protection across the EU.
The EU also adopted in record time several emergency initiatives during the course of 2022
to mitigate the effects of the energy crisis on industry and households.
Finally, to underscore the EU’s commitment to stand by Ukraine as long as is necessary, we
will create a facility to provide support to Ukraine to the tune of up to EUR 50 billion in
the period 2024-2027. This funding will cater for Ukraine's immediate needs, as well as
bolstering its recovery, and supporting its modernisation on its path towards EU membership.
Together with our international partners, we have taken steps to ensure war crimes committed
in Ukraine by Russia are punished and that Russia compensates for the damage it has done.
The International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine
has started its operations in The Hague and will be key to investigating these horrific acts and
facilitating the building of cases for future trials. We will leave no stone unturned to hold those
responsible to account. And we are continuing work on the possible use of proceeds from seized
Russian assets for Ukraine’s reconstruction.
The Union must prepare for its successful enlargement in order to foster long-term peace
and stability in Europe. We will work closely with our partners as they prepare for this
momentous step, including opening the Commission’s Rule of Law Reports to those accession
countries who get up to speed even faster.
The EU also needs to be ready. The Commission will put forward a Communication on preenlargement reforms and policy reviews to see how each policy would be affected by a larger
Union and how the European institutions would work.

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We will continue to engage with countries and regions around the world, in particular in
Africa, to address global challenges and strengthen multilateral governance and rules-based
international cooperation.
In all our actions we remain committed to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,
and its sustainable development goals will remain at the heart of our policies1 and better
regulation agenda2.
2. Better Regulation, implementation and enforcement of EU law
2.1. Better regulation, burden reduction and rationalisation of reporting
requirements
Reducing administrative burdens is crucial to maintaining the competitiveness of European
businesses. That’s why the Commission’s long-term competitiveness Communication3 set a
target of reducing burdens associated with reporting requirements by 25%, without
undermining policy objectives. This will rationalise and streamline such requirements, which
have a disproportionate impact on businesses, including SMEs and micro-companies, and
administrations, and ensure they fulfil their intended purpose.
To achieve this goal, the Commission has adopted legislation, including to reform the Union
Customs Code, which will create a single EU interface and facilitate data re-use. Together,
these measures will bring about around EUR 2 billion in cost savings. In addition, the
proposed revision of the Regulation on European statistics, reducing the number of surveys
and increasing the use of automated and simplified processes, will bring cost savings –
including for SMEs – of an estimated EUR 450 million. With this work programme, the
Commission is putting forward additional rationalisation proposals4 to reduce administrative
burden without lowering social, safety, consumer protection, environmental or economic
standards. They will streamline reporting requirements that are of limited use, for example
by consolidating overlapping obligations, reducing the number of businesses concerned and
increasing digitalisation.
To allow stakeholders time to adapt to new requirements, we will postpone the deadline for
adoption of the sector-specific European sustainability reporting standards. The
Commission will adjust the thresholds of the accounting Directive so that more than a
million companies are expected to benefit from reduced reporting requirements, and review the
benchmark Regulation, including to exempt administrators of smaller benchmarks, which
account for 90% of the population, while still ensuring a high degree of consumer and investor
protection. The Commission also proposes to facilitate data sharing between autorities
overseeing the financial sector and avoid duplicative reporting. The Commission is promoting
the timely agreement and widespread implementation of a common form of electronic format
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EU Voluntary Review on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The sustainable development goals and the ‘do no significant harm' principle have been mainstreamed
into the Better Regulation toolbox and the Commission’s policy development to ensure that all
legislative proposals contribute to the 2030 sustainable development agenda.
COM(2023) 168.
For a detailed overview of initiatives taken since 16 March 2023, taken forward with this work
programme or for adoption afterwards, see Annex II.

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for posted worker declarations. Complemented by work to make available a multilingual
portal, the Commission aims to allow companies to submit posting declarations digitally in
their own language, for all Member States who decide to make use of this tool.
Under the second notice on taxonomy reporting, which guides the interpretation of
disclosures regarding taxonomy, we will clarify that no assessment is needed from
undertakings for activities that are not material to their business and where they lack evidence
or data to prove compliance with the technical screening criteria of the EU Taxonomy. The
removal of certain disclosure obligations related to alternative dispute resolution cases and
replacing the online dispute resolution platform will bring overall benefits for businesses of
around EUR 630 million per year.
Proposals will also cover marketing standards for fishery products, plant health, transport,
agriculture and spatial infrastructure monitoring. The Commission will work with the colegislators to preserve the leanness of reporting requirements, as long as the objectives and
the purpose of the legislation are not put at risk. For example, for the proposed Directive on
corporate sustainability due diligence, the Commission will support the proportionate
application of the requirements, in particular in areas such as the role of groups, with a view to
ensuring efficiency and avoiding unnecessary burden.
For the industrial emissions portal Regulation, the Commission is committed to accelerating
digitalisation and further streamlining reporting requirements. With the revision of the
coordination of social security framework, the Commission will continue to support the colegislators to find effective and workable solutions that protect workers and facilitate crossborder activities in the internal market. Moreover, the digital Europe programme is available
to fund initiatives by Member States to provide simple technical reporting means, such as a
single-entry point for the reporting of cybersecurity incidents in the framework of the Directive
on measures for a high common level of cybersecurity across the Union (NIS2 Directive).
The streamlining of reporting requirements is a long-term effort that will require focus for
the foreseeable future. Establishing a baseline of reporting requirements, while complex
given the breadth of EU legislation and its interaction with national and regional laws, will be
crucial to measuring progress. Stakeholders can help in shaping a better understanding of how
the reporting requirement landscape affects them. For this reason, we have launched a call for
evidence5 to gather feedback on burdensome reporting requirements. Further consultations
with companies, including with the SME envoys network, Member States’ experts and other
stakeholders, will be carried out to identify particularly problematic issues and areas to
prioritise. The Commission will also appoint an EU SME envoy who will participate in
Regulatory Scrutiny Board hearings on initiatives that have a high impact on SMEs.
Additionally, the Commission will tackle the burdensome reporting requirements that its
Directorates-General have identified with targeted rationalisation plans for 2024 and beyond.
We will report on progress made towards the 25% goal in the annual burden surveys, starting
with the 2023 edition, to be published next year.

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https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/13990-Administrative-burdenrationalisation-of-reporting-requirements_en

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The Commission will put the development of artificial intelligence tools and large language
models at the core of this exercise. This will help to identify reporting requirements in EU
legislation, based on standardised means, and support in analysing their effect in a certain
sector. It will also work on the expansion of the use of e-platforms for collecting and sharing
data, such as the Single Digital Gateway, the e-platform established under the Governance of
the Energy Union and Climate Action Regulation and the Digital Finance Platform. In addition,
the Commission will carry out evaluations and fitness checks to assess how legislation can
be simplified and made less burdensome, with an emphasis on identifying further opportunities
for rationalising reporting requirements6. The evaluations of programmes and funds of the
multiannual financial framework, due in 2024, offers another opportunity to assess how to
reduce burdens linked to the EU’s financial programmes.
The rationalisation of reporting requirements complements the Commission’s tools for burden
reduction. Under the Commission’s regulatory fitness and performance programme
(REFIT), all evaluations and revisions look for opportunities to reduce burden, and for all
significant proposals, impact assessments are carried out to ensure that benefits outweigh costs.
For example, establishing a Head Office Taxation system will simplify rules and cut tax
compliance costs for SMEs expanding their operations across borders. The proposal on
business in Europe: framework for income taxation (BEFIT) could reduce tax compliance costs
for businesses operating in the EU by up to 65%.
In addition, since January 2022, with its ‘one in, one out’ approach, the Commission has
presented proposals that are set to provide EUR 7.3 billion more administrative savings than
costs7. The Fit for Future Platform also advises the Commission on how to reduce burdens
in EU law.
2.2. Implementation and enforcement of EU law
For people and businesses in the EU to enjoy the full benefits of our commonly agreed rules,
EU law must be implemented and applied in a full, timely and correct manner across the Union.
That is why the enforcement of EU law is a priority for this Commission. At this stage in
the mandate, we will ensure that even greater attention is given to implementation and
enforcement tasks, to make sure that the rules agreed deliver for people and businesses.
Addressing implementation challenges when proposals are being developed and offering
guidance to Member States are ways to prevent problems at an early stage. To deliver more
efficient EU laws, we will thus work together with Member States to avoid placing
unnecessary burdens on business and citizens when transposing EU directives into national
law. When breaches do occur, the Commission will continue to engage with Member States to
remedy the problems swiftly and to act decisively on infringements which obstruct the
implementation of important EU policy objectives, or which risk undermining the EU’s values
and fundamental freedoms.
To ensure that the enforcement tools at its disposal remain effective, the Commission
conducted a stocktaking exercise with Member States in 2022. We are now implementing its
findings and recommendations to improve the way the Commission and the Member States
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See Annex II for a detailed overview of initiatives and proposals.
2022 Annual Burden survey; https://commission.europa.eu/publications/2022-annual-burdensurvey_en

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ensure enforcement of EU law. We will work closely with the Member States to facilitate the
implementation of new legislation through increased support at national level, especially in
areas where more efforts may be needed to ensure the timely and correct transposition of
directives, and through a more systematic monitoring of the implementation of regulations. We
will also continue reinforcing the transparency of the Commission's enforcement actions, with
more information and data published in a more user-friendly way. This will help members of
the public engage in this process and promote faster compliance by Member States, by
highlighting positive achievements and giving credit to best practices, creating at the same time
peer pressure concerning unresolved breaches of EU law.
3. Delivery on the six headline ambitions
As mentioned in the State of the Union address, the Commission has delivered on over 90% of
the commitments made in the 2019 Political Guidelines of President von der Leyen. In 2024,
a dedicated effort by the co-legislators is needed to find agreement on outstanding proposals to
bring benefits for Europe’s citizens and businesses.
3.1. A European Green Deal
Born out of the urgency to take action to protect and preserve our planet, the European Green
Deal is our growth agenda, proving to the world that modernisation and decarbonisation can
go hand in hand. The EU has the world’s most ambitious green transformation plan, with the
goals of achieving climate-neutrality, circular economy and a net-zero economy by 2050,
as well as preventing environmental degradation, preserving biodiversity and creating a
zero pollution environment. In the face of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the
Commission acted swiftly to ensure the security of energy supply while strengthening the
Union’s commitment to the European Green Deal and increasing our industrial base in clean
tech sectors. Fundamental structural changes have been proposed for the electricity and gas
markets, as well as new initiatives to spearhead the emergence of green hydrogen markets.
We will continue our efforts to ensure that the green transition is done in a just, smart and
inclusive way, leaving nobody and nowhere behind, while also engaging actively with our third
country partners including to strengthen green growth. To this end, the Commission will initiate
a series of green dialogues in order to fully and directly engage with citizens, as well as clean
transition dialogues with industry and social partners. In parallel, the Commission is
continuing its preparatory work for the implementation of the future Social Climate Fund,
which together with the Just Transition Fund, will support vulnerable citizens, businesses and
regions in the transition. The Commission will launch a strategic dialogue on the future of
agriculture in the EU, further engaging with farmers, stakeholders in the food chain and
citizens, working together on the transition towards sustainable food systems.
Faced with new global threats, the Commission has laid out plans to safeguard food security
and reinforce the resilience of food systems in the short and medium term. Through its farm
to fork and strategy, it has been delivering on the vision of making the EU food system fair,
healthy and environmentally friendly. The strategy also included action to achieve sustainable
and resilient fisheries and aquaculture. In parallel, the Commission adopted further measures
to build the circular economy, tabled flagship initiatives on protecting biodiversity and
restoring damaged ecosystems and presented key proposals under the zero pollution action

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plan. The EU has also worked on strengthening its disaster resilience, including by doubling
the rescEU aerial firefighting fleet and boosting our Civil Protection Mechanism.
The majority of initiatives set out in the 2019 Communication on the European Green Deal
have been delivered, and many already agreed into law. It is imperative to swiftly reach
agreement on the remaining proposals in order to keep the Union firmly on track towards
climate neutrality. This includes the proposals on carbon removals, methane emissions
reduction in the energy sector, industrial emissions, the energy performance of buildings, CO₂
emission performance standards for new heavy-duty vehicles, type-approval of motor vehicles
and engines, revision of the rules on the circularity of vehicles, revision of the TEN-T
regulation and the greening of freight package, as well as electricity market design, renewable
and natural gases and hydrogen. To foster sustainable farming and food security, the
proposals on plants obtained by certain new genomic techniques and the sustainable use of
plant protection products should also be agreed. To bring us closer to a true circular economy
we need swift agreement on the ecodesign requirements for sustainable products, waste and
packaging, shipment of waste, and the repair of goods. To advance towards zero pollution
and to protect and restore our nature, we will need to bring into law the proposals on nature
restoration, classification, labelling and packaging of chemicals, air quality, urban wastewater
treatment, and surface and groundwater protection.
The Commission will launch the process to establish a 2040 climate target, to keep the EU on
course towards climate neutrality by 2050. It will present the European wind power package
to accelerate the deployment of wind turbines, improve access to finance and support the
international competitiveness of European industry. We will table an initiative on industrial
carbon management setting out a strategy for environmentally sustainable carbon capture,
utilisation and storage deployment in the EU, considering its importance for reaching carbon
neutrality. We will adopt an initiative on water resilience to ensure access to water for citizens,
nature and the economy, while also tackling catastrophic flooding and water shortages, as well
as an initiative to identify and assess how best to manage climate risks across EU policy areas.
3.2. A Europe fit for the digital age
By making the 2020s the Digital Decade with clear digital targets, the EU and its Member
States have set a course to improve digital skills, digitalise administration and businesses, boost
research and innovation, close the digital gap and upgrade our digital infrastructure. At the
same time, the EU is leading the way in managing the risks of our digital future. With the
digital markets act and the digital services act, we have laid strong foundations for making
our single market fair, competitive, consumer friendly and safe in the digital realm, especially
for children.
Although much has been achieved, efforts are still needed to agree pending key initiatives that
will further the digital agenda and strengthen Europe’s resilience. The critical raw materials
act will allow Europe to bolster domestic supplies, including through boosting refining and
recycling capacities, diversify imports of these crucial materials, and incentivise our industry
to better manage supply risks, while remaining competitive. The provisions will build on the
strengths of the single market to boost more sustainable and circular practices and will also
allow for joint purchasing of raw materials through a dedicated platform. Many of our partners
around the world want to work together and develop local industries for processing and refining
to strengthen global supply chains of raw materials. This is why the first meeting of the new

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Critical Raw Materials Club will be convened later this year. We will also adopt a plan on
advanced materials for industrial leadership that, together with the Member States, aims to
accelerate the development of safe, sustainable and circular advanced materials, and their
industrial uptake for the benefit of the green and digital transition.
The net-zero industry act will support Europe’s industry in developing and taking up the
innovative and strategic technologies needed in an economy with net-zero emissions, such as
wind turbines, heat pumps, solar panels, electrolysers, nuclear technologies as well as CO2
storage. Demand is growing, both in Europe and globally, and we are acting now to ensure
European supplies can meet more of this demand.
We also need to make progress on the single market emergency instrument, to help preserve
the free movement of goods, services and persons and the availability of vital goods and
services in case of future unforeseen disruptions.
The SME relief package, with its revision of the late payments Directive and the tax
simplification establishing a head office taxation system, is designed to further support
Europe’s small and medium businesses, which are the backbone of our economy.
The pending proposals on artificial intelligence (AI) are key to the safe and beneficial
application of a technology that has been evolving at tremendous speed in recent years. The
window of opportunity is narrowing for us to guide this technology responsibly.
Alongside concerted efforts with our international partners to strengthen global AI governance,
we will open up our high-performance computers to AI start-ups to facilitate European
innovation. Europe’s Copernicus, EGNOS, and Galileo satellite programmes already bring
countless benefits to our economy and societies and play a pivotal role in understanding,
preparing for and fighting climate change. Additionally, IRIS2 will set up critical infrastructure
for secured connectivity, with important defence applications.
Major investments in digital networks are needed to meet our Digital Decade targets for 2030.
Following the recent exploratory consultation, we will prepare the ground for possible policy
and regulatory actions regarding Digital Networks and infrastructure, notably to facilitate
cross-border infrastructure operators in the Single Market, accelerate deployment of
technologies and attract more capital into networks.
The space industry is gaining in importance for Earth observation and modern connected
products and services, as well as for defence and security. The 2023 space strategy for
security and defence8 aims to improve the resilience of the EU’s space infrastructure and
space capabilities in support of security and defence, and to promote partnerships for
responsible behaviour in outer space. In 2024, we will propose a European space law that will
set rules, for example for space traffic management, but also on how we will keep our critical
space infrastructure safe. It will be complemented by a strategy on the space data economy
to increase the use of space data across economic sectors.
3.3. An economy that works for people
The EU economy has demonstrated resilience in the face of an unprecedented array of crises.
It has coped with the socio-economic impacts of both the global COVID-19 pandemic and
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Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. However, it faces important challenges to its
competitiveness, which will be the subject of the upcoming report by Mario Draghi. By tabling
reforms to secure the EU’s long-term economic prosperity and competitiveness while ensuring
the full implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights, we have strengthened the
EU’s unique social market economy.
It is imperative that agreement is reached on pending proposals to deepen our single market,
the foundation of the EU’s sustainable competitiveness. In this respect, we need to further
advance the Capital Markets Union by agreeing the proposals on insolvency, clearing, the
simplification of companies’ access to public capital markets and scaling up insurance
companies’ long term investment capacity, as well as take further steps towards a Banking
Union with the completion of the crisis management and deposit insurance review. Moreover,
we need to agree on the new rules on withholding tax procedures, the proposal to prevent the
misuse of shell entities for tax purposes and a series of measures to modernise the EU’s ValueAdded Tax (VAT) system and make it more resilient to fraud by embracing digitalisation.
Furthermore, we need to advance on the proposal to improve business taxation (BEFIT and
transfer pricing) and the comprehensive reform of the EU Customs Union. In the area of
digital finance, we need to move forward on the proposals for enhancing rules for payment
services and introducing a framework on financial data access (“open finance”), and advance
the negotiations on the proposal establishing the legal framework for a digital Euro.
Significant progress has been made in implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights
through its action plan and 2030 headline targets. Rules to improve conditions in platform work
and a framework for adequate minimum wages have been put forward, while the European
Year of Skills has stimulated a broad range of activities to address the urgent skills gaps
afflicting several sectors, such as the Cybersecurity Skills Academy, and the Pact for Skills has
been set up. Young people’s access to the labour market has been facilitated with the reinforced
Youth Guarantee and the upcoming initiative to update our quality framework for traineeships.
The European Child Guarantee helps to combat and prevent social exclusion by guaranteeing
children effective access to a set of key services, including free education, free healthcare,
healthy nutrition and adequate housing.The Commission will continue to support the colegislators in finding an agreement on the coordination of social security systems.
In response to a legislative own-initiative report by the European Parliament, the Commission
will present an initiative on European works councils in 2024.
Following up to the Val Duchesse Summit, we will work with businesses and trade unions to
make our labour market more future proof in the light of deep-rooted shifts in technology,
society and demography. We will build on the demography toolbox to help activate the entirety
of our human capital.
An upcoming initiative will help realise the full benefits of biotechnologies and
biomanufacturing, key to the competitiveness and modernisation of EU industry due to their
high growth potential and labour productivity.
The Commission will also publish its ninth cohesion report outlining the state of social,
economic and territorial cohesion in the EU, taking stock of the actions undertaken in the last
years.

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3.4. A stronger Europe in the world
On the global stage, we continue to see growing tensions and geopolitical upheaval. The
indiscriminate and brutal terrorist attacks against Israel and its people by Hamas directly
threaten peace and security in the region and underline the need for renewed efforts to
reinvigorate the Middle East Peace Process. Russia, with its war of aggression against Ukraine
and its actions within the international fora, continues challenging the foundations of
multilateralism and the rules-based international order.
The EU’s military support to Ukraine has opened up critical gaps in the defence stockpiles of
Member States. In response, we have supported Member States in strengthening the
European defence industry through an instrument for joint procurement (EDIRPA)9 and a
Task Force for Joint Defence Procurement. In addition, we ramped up ammunition production
capacity through the act in support of ammunition production (ASAP)10. The third Joint
Declaration on EU-NATO cooperation11 expanded our cooperation to new areas critical for
security – resilience, emerging and disruptive technologies, defence and space.
We will continue to strengthen and build more resilient connections with the world through our
Global Gateway12 by applying our Team Europe approach. We are implementing sectoral
strategies and action plans including the strategy on international energy engagement 13, the
Joint Communication on international ocean governance14, the space strategy for security and
defence15, the update of the EU maritime security strategy16, the Joint Communication on a
partnership with the Gulf17 and the new agenda for Latin America and the Caribbean18.
We will continue working with the Western Balkans, along with Ukraine, Moldova and
Georgia, in view of their future accession to the Union. We will also maintain our support for
the Eastern Partnership and Southern Neighbourhood.
The Union will continue to work on building partnerships with countries and organisations
across the globe. In particular, we need to continue our efforts to strengthen our mutually
beneficial partnership with Africa, and we will further develop our strategic approach to take
it forward with the African Union at the next EU-AU Summit.
The European defence industrial strategy will give further impulse to developing Member
States’ defence capabilities, underpinned by a modern and resilient European defence
technological and industrial base. We will, in this framework, continue to consolidate the
actions for the continuity of the European defence industrial base reinforcement after 2025. In
2024, we will also continue efforts to implement the Strategic Compass19 to strengthen our
defence readiness and make the EU a stronger and more capable security provider. The EU
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COM(2022) 349.
Regulation (EU) 2023/1525 of 20 July 2023.
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/official_texts_210549.htm
JOIN(2021) 30.
JOIN(2022) 23.
JOIN(2022) 28.
JOIN(2023) 9.
JOIN(2023) 8.
JOIN(2022) 13.
JOIN(2023)17.
https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/strategic-compass-security-and-defence-1_en

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will continue to develop further the toolbox to counter foreign information manipulation
and interference, to effectively address malign actions from abroad.
We will continue to defend and promote democracy, human rights, the rule of law and
effective multilateralism. We will continue our efforts to protect children affected by armed
conflict, notably through presenting the revised EU guidelines. EU solidarity through both
humanitarian aid and the Union Civil Protection Mechanism will keep delivering. We will
engage constructively with all partners and continue to support the UN Secretary General’s
reform agenda, including in preparations for the Summit of the Future in September 2024.
As a global leader and standard setter, we need to accelerate an open and fair trade agenda
geared towards competitiveness, resilience and sustainability. We will continue our work to
enhance cooperation and trade relations with partners, and will drive global efforts to reform
the World Trade Organization. The reviewed trade strategy of the EU promotes an open,
sustainable and assertive policy, which supports the green and digital transformations.
We have successfully concluded negotiations on trade agreements with Chile, New
Zealand and Kenya. We are also seeking to finalise agreements with Australia, Mexico and
Mercosur. The Commission will also continue to push forward negotiations with India and
Indonesia, as well as the digital trade agreements with Signapore and the Republic of
Korea. EU-US relations have also been strengthened through our work in the Trade and
Technology Council. Inspired by this, an EU-India Trade and Technology Council has been
launched this year.At the same time, we have strengthened our tools against unfair trade
practices, and will act to ensure global competition remains fair. The Commission has therefore
launched an anti-subsidy investigation into electric vehicles coming from China.
3.5. Promoting our European way of life
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commission started laying the foundations for a
European Health Union. This comprises a reinforced health security framework, including
the new Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, as well as the pioneering
Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and proposals to build the European Health Data Space and
reform the pharmaceutical legislation. The EU also adopted the new EU global health
strategy20 to guide its efforts to strengthen healthcare worldwide.
The Commission will continue to support the work on both the legislative and operational
strands of managing migration. It is essential that the co-legislators finalise the New Pact on
Migration and Asylum21 by the end of this legislative mandate. In parallel, it is indispensable
to continue taking operational action to advance the EU’s collective response to migration
challenges, in cooperation with our key partners.
The Commission has also acted to strengthen the four pillars of the EU Security Union
Strategy22: addressing vulnerabilities, augmenting cybersecurity, fostering law enforcement
cooperation and supporting resilience against hybrid threats. This includes initiatives to remove
terrorist content online, strengthen the Union’s maritime security, including in the context of

20

COM(2022) 675.

21

COM(2020)609

22

COM(2020) 605.

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the resilience of critical infrastructure and protect the Union’s space assets such as satellites
and deter hostile activities in space.
The upcoming Cyber Resilience Act and Cyber Solidarity Act proposal will play a key role
in reinforcing cybersecurity, by boosting supply chain security and strengthening solidarity at
Union level to better detect, prepare and respond to cybersecurity threats and incidents.
As outlined in the sixth Progress Report on the Security Union, agreement is also needed on
proposals that will enhance the security of our citizens and effectively fight crime together
while upholding our shared fundamental values. This includes the proposals on cyber
resilience, the Union Code on governing the movement of persons across borders, automated
data exchange for police cooperation (Prüm II), the collection and transfer of advance
passenger information, anti-trafficking in human beings, combating child sexual abuse, asset
recovery and confiscation, and the definition of criminal offences and penalties.
The action plan on anti-drug trafficking and organised crime, including the European
ports alliance, prepares the ground for more effective joint efforts in the fight against organised
crime and illegal drug trafficking. The Commission will also propose to modernise the legal
framework to fight the smuggling of migrants, to ensure that we have the necessary legal and
operational tools to respond to the new modus operandi of smugglers. In addition, the
Commission will organise an international conference on fighting people smuggling,
considering the need for international cooperation and a strong global alliance in this area.
In higher education, the Commission will propose a blueprint for the future joint European
degree, which will contribute to achieving a European Education Area. It will be supported by
recommendations on quality assurance in higher education and on attractive academic careers.
3.6. A new push for European democracy
During this mandate, the Commission has attached particular importance to strengthening and
revitalising our European democracy. The European democracy action plan has guided
our work with its goal to empower citizens and build more resilient democracies across the EU
by promoting free and fair elections, strengthening media freedom and countering
disinformation. The Conference on the future of Europe was an unprecedented exercise of
participatory democracy and allowed us to listen to the views of citizens from across the EU
on the future of our Union. With the new generation of citizen panels that we piloted for three
key initiatives in 202323, and with more to come next year, we have embedded citizens’
participation even more concretely into our policy-making toolbox. Particular emphasis was
placed on engaging with the younger generation who have a crucial role in shaping the future,
with one third of the panellists aged between 16 and 25.
In line with the commitments of President von der Leyen’s Political Guidelines, the
Commission has followed up on legislative own-initiative reports of the European
Parliament.
A precondition for the democratic functioning of the EU and its Member States is an
independent judiciary and respect for the rule of law. Both the annual Rule of Law cycle as
well as the Conditionality Mechanism help to ensure this and to safeguard the EU’s financial
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Food waste, virtual worlds and learning mobility.

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interests. Significant progress has been made in other crucial areas for our democratic societies.
We have come forward with key proposals on the transparency and fairness of the electoral
process to the strengthening and safeguarding of rights of different groups in society, and
guaranteeing the freedom and independence of journalists in the EU. We continue to work
on building our democratic resilience from within and protecting against undue external
influences. We now also have a solid legal framework for cross-border judicial cooperation,
including on court proceedings and digital communication.
An open and inclusive society needs to guarantee equal rights and protection to all groups in
society. That is why the Commission adopted dedicated strategies on children’s rights, gender
equality, anti-racism, Roma equality, LGBTIQ equality, the rights of persons with disabilities
and victims’ rights. Agreed after 10 years of negotiations, the women on boards Directive
will oblige companies to meet clear targets for director positions by mid-2026. This year, we
adopted new rules on pay transparency between men and women, strengthening the application
of the principle of equal pay for equal work, an important step towards gender equality and
closing the gender pay gap. With the recent accession to the Council of Europe’s 2016 Istanbul
Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence,
the EU has sent a strong signal that it is determined to prevent, condemn and fight violence
against women and girls in all its forms.
To have the right framework for the European Parliament elections, the Commission will aim
to facilitate agreements on the statute and funding of European political parties and the
transparency of targeted political advertising. Together with the European Parliament, the
Commission has also launched a communication campaign intended to increase the number of
mobile EU citizens voting in the 2024 European Parliament elections.
A thriving civil society and free and critical media landscape is the backbone of democratic
society, and agreement is needed on the Directive on strategic lawsuits against public
participation (SLAPP) and the media freedom act.
We also call on co-legislators to find agreement on the proposals for the Directive on
combating violence against women and domestic violence, the victims’ rights Directive,
the proposed standards for national equality bodies and the Directive establishing the
European disability card and the Next year, we will adopt a Commission Recommendation
on the development and strengthening of child protection systems in the Member States
and will ensure better use of existing EU tools (legislation, policy measures and funding).
As the digital information space is increasingly influencing the public debate and political
decision-making, it is essential to continue the work on fighting disinformation to ensure free
and fair exchange of opinions, especially ahead of the European elections.
4. Conclusion
Over the past four years, the Union has shown its indivisibility and determination to tackle
the challenges of our generation, for the generations of tomorrow. We acted together in
responding decisively in support of a Europe of freedom, prosperity and peace. We must
continue this work and lay down solid foundations for strengthening our Union and
preparing for the future.

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This Commission will work until the last day of its mandate to address our common challenges.
We will provide strong support to the European Parliament and Council to facilitate
agreements on remaining key proposals, while tabling the few new initiatives still needed to
deliver on our promises and preparing the Union for tomorrow.
A detailed overview of the Commission’s planned work for 2024 is provided in the annexes to
this work programme.

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