The European Commission plans to present 23 initiatives in 2027. Next year’s Work Programme, as revealed by Agence Europe, thus appears to mark a shift towards legislative restraint, given that the institution had, for example, planned no fewer than 38 initiatives for 2026. “Competitiveness” and “simplification” nevertheless remain the key concepts of the new programme. The two words appear 12 and seven times respectively in the Commission’s explanatory communication, which we also published.
Single Market. Several of the planned key initiatives concern the single market. In particular, the Commission plans an initiative for the third quarter of 2027 to remove internal barriers to the single market, a major objective set out in the ‘Draghi’ and ‘Letta’ reports. It remains to be seen, however, whether it will involve legislation, as most of the barriers in question fall within the remit of Member States.
Similarly, a proposal will aim to “prevent market segmentation by suppliers”. “We will tackle unjustified territorial supply constraints that continue to limit consumer choice and cause significant price differences across the EU, in particular for everyday consumer goods”, the communication explains.
The Commission is also planning a new proposal to further speed up the granting of industrial permits. This is “particularly” intended to help “the EU’s strategic sectors” to “attract additional investment”.
For the third quarter of 2027, the institution headed by Ursula von der Leyen is also planning an initiative to “diversify supplies of critical raw materials”. “To ensure the resources necessary for modern economic sectors (...)”, a dedicated “European structure” would be created to “work with the European Critical Raw Materials Centre”.
Simplification. This year will again focus on legislative simplification. As early as the first quarter, the Commission intends to propose an “Omnibus” package to simplify rules on “bank financing”.
“We will address regulatory simplification opportunities in the transport, housing and digital areas”, the institution adds.
In the digital sector, a “Digital Transformation, Simplification and Copyright Package” is expected to be unveiled in the second quarter.
Transport. For transport, a “simplification package” is expected as early as the first quarter. A proposal to revise the CO2 emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles would follow later in the year. The stated aim is to “ensure progress towards climate neutrality and move away from fossil fuels while preserving the competitiveness of the EU automotive industry”.
A revision of the European “ReFuelEU Aviation” regulation, which addresses the decarbonisation of the aviation sector, is also planned for the second quarter.
Environment. On the environment, the Commission has put forward a “European Water Initiative” for the same period, which could be “legislative or non-legislative”. “Europe’s farmers coped in the face of these adverse conditions, but more needs to be done to help the agricultural sector be better prepared for extreme conditions in the future”, the communication states. More broadly, the intention is to “help better manage our vital water resources for our citizens, our food security and our industries”.
The “European Heatwave Plan” scheduled for the second quarter, for its part, will not be legislative.
The programme also announces a revision of the nature protection directives, notably the ‘Birds’ and ‘Habitats’ Directives, as well as the Natura 2000 network. The Commission does not, however, appear to be making this a priority. “This process should allow us to assess whether changes to the legal framework are needed to continue achieving their objectives effectively in a simpler way”.
Finally, in the field of migration, an update of the visa rules is expected in the second quarter. The aim will be to “modernise the Schengen visa framework while facilitating legitimate travel, labour mobility and welcoming talent to the EU”.
The Work Programme also announces the withdrawal of no fewer than 23 legislative proposals, most of which have been blocked for years. Many concern taxation, where unanimity among Member States is required. The withdrawal of the directive on combating late payment in commercial transactions (‘Late Payment Directive’) is among those announced, much to the dismay of SMEunited, which represents the interests of small and medium-sized enterprises and craftspeople.
To see the Work programme: https://aeur.eu/f/o8f and the Communication: https://aeur.eu/f/o8e (Original version in French by Clément Solal)