A leaked copy of Ursula von der Leyen’s second EU executive’s work programme reveals that clean industry and defence are on the agenda for the first 100 days, but also sets the path for other policy announcements in the months to come.
The document highlights the first steps the EU executive is planning as it shifts focus towards sustainable technology and innovation, strategic autonomy, and competitiveness, in line with the recent the Letta and Draghi reports.
The Clean Industrial Deal aims to build on the Green Deal, a cornerstone of the previous Commission’s mandate, with initiatives that range from an Action Plan on Affordable Energy to an Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act.
The root-and-branch overhaul of EU industrial policy will encompass a European Competitiveness Fund, Chemical Industry Package, and an Industrial Action Plan for the automotive sector, the document shows, although some of the detail will be fleshed out at a later date.
The draft work programme also promises a white paper outlining the future of European defence, alongside an initiative to establish AI factories.
Other major initiatives already announced for the first 100 days include a new vision for European farming and food led by Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen, and a Critical Medicines Act spearheaded by Health Commissioner Oliver Várhelyi.
Health Preparedness Commissioner Hadja Lahbib will introduce a European cybersecurity plan for hospitals and healthcare providers, as well as a roadmap advancing women’s rights.
Further actions include implementing regulations for orphan medical devices, the launch of the first annual youth policy dialogues, and a revision of the EU Air Services Regulation.
With Europe still importing substantial volumes of Russian gas almost three years into the war on Ukraine, the new Commission plans to release a strategy to end Russian energy imports.
Later this year
Looking ahead to the spring, the Commission is set to approve strategic projects under the Critical Materials Act, evaluate the Standardisation Regulation, and introduce a Pact for European Social Dialogue.
Other key developments will include reviews of pre-enlargement policies, regulations on jurisdiction and enforcement of judgments, and the law applicable to non-contractual obligations.
By June 2025, the Commission is expected to release a long-awaited Single Market Strategy. It also plans to establish a European Oceans Pact and ratify the UN Treaty on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdictions, the so-called High Seas Treaty hammered out last year.
Still earlier than Summer, the Commission is also planning to deliver its review of the route-based approach on returns under the migration and asylum pact, proposing some new rules on migrants’ deportations.
Additional plans for the first half of next year include a review of the Transparency Register Agreement between the European Parliament, the Council, and the Commission.
The new Commission aims to finalise the EU-Ukraine Trade Liberalisation Framework, introduce an EU Space Law, and launch a European Start-Up and Scale-Up Forum. We can also expect a report on the availability of secure parking areas for lorry drivers, the draft work programme suggests.
By November, the Commission intends to release a communication setting out the EU’s global climate and energy vision. The document does not specifically mention the proposal for an emissions reduction target to 2040, adding to doubt over the timing after Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra’s vague answers to MEPs questions last month.
On the tech side, also by November, the new Commission has provisionally pencilled in an assessment of the Digital Services Act as well as a report on efforts of member states to take down illegal or pirated sports content.
Only ‘by the end of 2025′ is the executive planning to come forward with the core component of the Chemicals Industry package anticipated already in the Clean Industrial deal – the long-delayed revision of the REACH regulation on the authorisation and restriction of chemicals.
On health, the keenly awaited Biotech Act coupled with a Strategy for European Life Sciences, as well as a review of medical devices regulation and the 5th edition of the European Code Against Cancer are also slated for publication towards the end of next year.
By that time, the Commission also plans to unveil a proposal for a regulation on one-click digital ticketing system it hopes will make cross-border rail travel easier and more attractive. We can also expect the results of a scientific study into marketing techniques that target children through online games, the document suggests.
