The European Commission presented its 2022 Work Programme, on Tuesday 19 October in Strasbourg, in the margins of the European Parliament plenary session.
The initiatives are numerous and, for the most part, already known. In terms of method, the main novelty is the application of the ‘one in, one out’ principle in the wake of the communication on improving the Union’s legislative process, presented last April (see EUROPE 12709/16).
“The 2022 work programme will not only be about the new initiatives listed in annex I. With the full implementation of the ‘ one in, one out’ approach, we will ensure that when we introduce new unavoidable burdens, we systematically and proactively seek to reduce existing ones”, the European Commission Vice-President in charge of Interinstitutional Relations, Maroš Šefčovič, told MEPs in a plenary session debate on Tuesday afternoon.
According to the Vice-President, this gives additional strength to the initiatives identified for the evaluation and revisions of Annex II (the annex dedicated to the REFIT programme, which aims to reduce the costs generated by EU legislation).
Better regulation will also continue to support green and digital transformation, he said, focusing on the ‘do no significant harm’ and ‘digital-by-default’ principles.
Responding to MEPs, Mr Šefčovič, assured that the Commission was working “hard” on this new approach, saying that all Commission services now had a set of instruments with new techniques to reduce the administrative burden. Here, he made it clear that it was primarily a matter of offsetting any new administrative burdens “preferably” in the same field of activity. A first report on the pilot phase will be published in the spring of 2022, he announced, assuring that the European Parliament will be kept informed.
Environmental and climate issues still a priority
The work programme includes many of the legislative projects listed in the European Commission’s letter of intent published in September (see EUROPE 12791) and confirms the content of the draft version EUROPE published yesterday (see EUROPE 12814/4).
The European Commission’s work programme includes 42 new initiatives, as stated by the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President, Valdis Dombrovskis, at a press briefing following the meeting of the College of Commissioners. In addition, it includes 26 initiatives for regulatory simplification and 6 proposals for withdrawals (mainly texts made obsolete by the European Recovery Plan).
Among the most eagerly awaited initiatives on the environmental and climate front are the carbon offset certification initiative (due in the fourth quarter), surface and groundwater pollutants (third quarter) and ambient air quality (also due in the third quarter).
Digital sector initiatives
A European Chips Act is planned for the second quarter. In the work programme, the form of the initiative was still undefined, providing for either a legislative “or” non-legislative initiative. Also in relation to digital, the European Commission will propose a set of recommendations to strengthen the digital dimension in school education in the third quarter and a legislative initiative on multimodal digital mobility in the fourth quarter. Drawing lessons from the pandemic, the European Commission is expected to present an emergency instrument for the single market in the first quarter of 2022.
Social measures
On the social front, the Commission intends to present a legislative initiative to protect workers from exposure to asbestos, which is expected to be submitted in the third quarter. In this respect, Vice-President Šefčovič indicated that the Commission would take into account the European Parliament’s own-initiative legislative report ‘Villumsen’, which was put to the vote on the same day (the results will be known on Wednesday morning, 20 October). In addition, a recommendation to encourage adequate minimum incomes will be presented in the third quarter.
External relations
On the external side, the Commission is planning a Joint Communication setting out an action plan on international ocean governance, which should be adopted in the second quarter of 2022, and another strategic partnership with the Gulf region. There is also a new strategy on international energy engagement to promote green solutions.
Health and family policy
On the health side, the European Commission intends to update the recommendation on cancer screening in the third quarter of 2022, taking into account the latest scientific evidence. On the family front, also in the third quarter, the institution wants to propose a new initiative on the recognition of parenthood between Member States.
Space
On space policy, the Commission confirms the presentation in the second quarter of an initiative to establish a secure communication system based on a satellite constellation. In the same quarter, the institution is expected to present a non-legislative initiative on Space Traffic Management.
Media freedom
On the issue of the Rule of law, the European Commission intends to present a legislative initiative in the third quarter to protect media freedom.
Ongoing negotiations
It should be noted that 76 proposals are still under negotiation, including the regulation on the coordination of social security systems and the many initiatives included in the package dedicated to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels (‘Fit for 55’).
A rather positive but vigilant European Parliament
The work programme seemed to satisfy the three largest political groups in the European Parliament (by number of seats), namely the EPP, S&D, and Renew Europe, although the latter group was particularly critical of the institution’s lack of ambition on trade and external policy. The S&D group called for the adoption of an anti-poverty law and a legislative act on new forms of work and assured that it would push for improvements to this work programme.
The Greens/EFA group insisted on reducing the EU’s energy dependency and on fighting ‘fake news’. All four political groups stressed the need to enforce the Rule of law and apply existing conditionalities on the disbursement of EU funds (see other news on the debate between the European Parliament and the Polish Prime Minister).
The far-right group, for its part, wanted less complex texts to allow the negotiations to proceed more quickly as the Commission enters the middle of its mandate, particularly on the climate change front. The ECR group agreed and stressed the importance of respecting the principle of subsidiarity. For its part, The Left deplored the European Commission’s lack of ambition on the climate, social, fiscal and budgetary aspects.
To access the 2022 work programme documents: https://bit.ly/3phBuxN (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)