On Tuesday 17 October in Strasbourg, the Vice-President of the European Commission, Maroš Šefčovič, presented the European Commission Work Programme 2024. While some political groups were pleased to see the emphasis on reducing the burden on businesses, others deplored the lack of ambition in various areas, such as ecology and social issues.
“We have never lost sight of our global ambitions. We have responded ‘present’ in the European Parliament to 90% of Ms von der Leyen’s initiatives, but our work is far from finished”, began Mr Šefčovič in the hemicycle.
In 2024, the work to be done will focus on SMEs. The aim is to achieve a 25% reduction in the costs associated with reporting requirements. This will involve reforming the Customs Code, for example.
According to the Commission, this measure would enable players in the sector to make savings of two billion euros. This sum, it adds, would come on top of a €450 million reduction in costs generated by the proposed revision of the rules on statistical surveys.
These announcements delighted the EPP, for whom defending competitiveness and SMEs is a priority. “As an EPP member, I welcome the approach to cutting red tape and supporting SMEs and competitiveness (...). It is only by making our economy more competitive that we can ensure that the social standards we already have here in Europe are maintained”, commented Siegfried Mureșan (EPP, Romanian).
For other groups, however, the Commission’s focus on industry is hard to swallow. “Your work programme for 2024 has only one objective: to simplify constraints for industry. (...) Your line is the turning point of social austerity combined with ecological renunciation”, deplored David Cormand (Greens/EFA, French).
While the Commission promises to continue implementing the ‘Green Deal’, several other dossiers are likely to be postponed until a later date, such as - according to Mr Šefčovič - the regulation on the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (‘REACH’) (see EUROPE 13257/11) or the framework law on sustainable food systems.
Only part of the animal welfare rules planned for 2024
In its 2024 work programme, the European Commission also confirms that it will only be proposing part of the originally planned proposals to revise the animal welfare rules (see EUROPE 13264/16). In December, it will present a proposal to revise the rules on the protection of farm animals during transport. There is nothing in the work programme on the end of cages in livestock farming or labelling to indicate respect for animal welfare.
For others, like Manon Aubry (The Left, French), the programme should also have focused on “poverty” and the “explosion in prices”. “Last time I checked, you can’t eat competitiveness, it can’t keep you warm, it can’t put roofs over people’s heads”, she said.
In addition, the European Commission will maintain its support for Ukraine, “step up cooperation to combat migrant smuggling” and “take action on pre-enlargement reforms and policy reviews to see how a larger Union could work”.
Work will also be carried out on all current issues, such as artificial intelligence (see EUROPE 13263/15). In this area, initiatives will reportedly be adopted to open up high-performance computers to AI start-ups. European space legislation will be proposed as well.
To see the Commission’s Work Programme 2024: https://aeur.eu/f/93j
To see the annex to the Work Programme: https://aeur.eu/f/93k (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin and Lionel Changeur)