The COVID-19 pandemic is prompting the European Commission to review its work programme for 2020, with the institution considering postponing a number of flagship measures, particularly in relation to the Green Deal, according to a draft version of the work programme produced by the Secretariat-General, consulted on Wednesday 15 April.
Thus, the New EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change and the New EU Forest Strategy, both scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2020 (see EUROPE 12414/4), have been postponed to 2021. According to the Commission, these two strategies “are not indispensable” to climate policy as a whole.
According to the institution, delaying the strategy on adaptation to climate change would also make it possible to prepare an impact assessment and a “better articulation” with the EU’s new climate objectives for 2030 (see EUROPE 12464/20), as well as with international discussions on biodiversity.
The Farm to Fork Strategy and the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 have been postponed until the end of the year. For the first strategy, the Commission considers that the COVID-19 crisis requires a revision of certain aspects of the strategy in relation to food security and also new proposals on the next financial framework, which are expected from the European Commission. The second strategy has reportedly been postponed due to the UN Conference on Biodiversity, which has also been postponed.
The modified digital calendar, too
Digital initiatives are also being modified. Flagship initiatives include the postponement to 2021 of the initiative on digital services (Digital Services Act) or on common shippers, the latter being considered “non-essential” by the Commission in the context of the health emergency. The Digital Services Act could be introduced during the first quarter of 2021.
What about the unemployment reinsurance scheme?
In the social arena, the initiative to introduce a European minimum wage (see EUROPE 12403/5) was postponed until the end of the year. As for the European unemployment reinsurance scheme (see EUROPE 12428/1), there is a lack of clarity. The Commission thus notes that with the proposal for a temporary instrument in the framework of COVID-19 (see EUROPE 12460/1), the need to present a new instrument (which would be based on another legal basis, such as Article 175 of the TFEU) needs to be “examined” and “confirmed”.
For the full Annex I of the work programme: https://bit.ly/2RBBarS
For the full timetable of Annex II on REFIT initiatives, see: https://bit.ly/2yjv8oU (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens and Hermine Donceel)