EU Commission work programme: A simpler, more sovereign, and independent EU

Strasbourg, 21 October 2025

The European Commission has today unveiled its 2026 work programme, which outlines a series of actions to help build a more sovereign and independent Europe. The work programme, entitled ‘Europe’s independence moment’, addresses current and future challenges arising from threats to our security and democracy, to conflicts and geopolitical tensions, to risks to our economy and industry, and accelerating climate change. It builds on the commitments set out in the Political Guidelines and mission letters sent by President Ursula von der Leyen to the College of EU Commissioners and the ideas set out in the 2025 State of the Union address.

The work programme doubles down on the current core priorities of the Commission by aiming to strengthen competitiveness, lead in clean and digital innovation, strengthen our unique social model and ensure collective security.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “The 2026 work programme marks another significant step towards a stronger, more sovereign Europe. We will continue working closely with the European Parliament and the Council to deliver on Europe’s priorities, to boost competitiveness, harness the power of our Single Market, simplify our rules and address the affordability crisis. Together, we will protect our citizens and uphold our values.”

Simplification and implementation as a focus

In 2026, the Commission will continue to cut red tape for people, business and administrations. The first overview report on simplification, implementation and enforcement, also adopted today, highlights the progress achieved so far – such as the six omnibus packages and other simplification proposals aiming to bring over €8.6 billion in annual cost savings for business and citizens.

Many of next year’s initiatives will also focus on making EU laws simpler and reducing costs. Several simplification proposals are foreseen across key sectors – including automotive, environment, taxation, food and feed safety, medical devices and simplifying energy product legislation. At the same time, implementation dialogues and reality checks will continue to help the Commission identify further simplification opportunities, including to reduce burdens for citizens.

The overview report presents Commission measures to support Member States when implementing EU policies, as well as key enforcement statistic and actions. The Commission is actively pursuing over 1,500 ongoing infringement cases to achieve the full implementation of EU rules, and therefore their benefits for people and businesses.

A more sovereign and independent Europe: key deliverables of 2026 work programme

• Sustainable prosperity and competitiveness: The Commission will pursue its work to strengthen Europe’s industrial base and support Europe’s strategic industrial sectors and jobs through a new Industrial Accelerator Act. It will increase Europe’s resilience in critical raw materials supply through the creation of a Critical Raw Materials Centre, as well as the Circular Economy Act. And it will aim to substantially unlock the potential of the Single Market by 2028 by removing barriers, establishing a European Innovation Act, setting up a 28th regime for innovative companies and promoting a “fifth freedom” for knowledge and innovation.
• Defence and security: We will build on the Readiness 2030 framework strengthening the EU’s defence capabilities and enhancing cooperation with strategic partners are key priorities. We will work on flagships as European Drone Defence Initiative, which is essential for the Eastern Flank Watch. The Commission will also reinforce the protection of the Union’s borders, fighting organised crime and enhancing cross-border critical communication systems. We will focus on putting the Pact on Migration and Asylum into practice.
• Social model and innovation: To address issues that European families face every day, we will put forward a series of measures to address affordability and costs of living crisis. We will propose a Quality Jobs Act. The Fair and labour mobility package, including the skills mobility initiative will make the qualifications more portable. Root causes of poverty and the housing crisis will be addressed.
• Quality of life – food, water, nature: The Commission will put forward the livestock strategy and review rules on unfair trading practices in the food chain to support European farmers. It will ensure climate resilience through the European climate adaptation plan. The Ocean Act will guide European ocean governance.
• Democracy and Rule of Law: The Commission will help to shield democratic institutions against extremism and disinformation, enhance consumer protection and review anti-fraud measures. We will look closely at issues around young people, particularly children and social media building on recommendations of the Panel of experts. The Commission will continue building on the Equality Union through new strategies on gender equality and disability rights.
• Global engagement: Global partnerships will be reinforced, and EU will continue to stand firmly with Ukraine, providing steadfast support for its urgent financial and military needs and reconstruction efforts. And its EU integration efforts will continue to be supported, alongside Moldova. Humanitarian aid will also be reformed for faster, more effective crisis responses. We will roll out our Pact for Mediterranean. We will put forward a Middle East strategy, including supporting the transition in Syria and Lebanon.

Preparation for the Union of tomorrow

Ambitious policies need to be underpinned by ambitious resources, as outlined in the recent proposal for a Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), amounting to almost €2 trillion. Therefore, the Commission in parallel calls on the European Parliament and the Council to swiftly agree on this framework and to advance the key legislative priorities.

Background

Every year, the Commission adopts a work programme setting out the list of actions it will take in the following year. The work programme informs the public and co-legislators of political commitments to present new initiatives, including simplification proposals, withdraw pending proposals and review existing EU legislation. The work programme is the result of close cooperation with the European Parliament, Member States and the EU consultative bodies.

For more information

• 2026 Commission work programme
• 2025 Overview Report on simplification
• Questions and answers on the 2026 Commission work programme
• Questions and answers on the 2025 Overview Report
• Factsheet on the 2026 Commission work programme
• Factsheet on the 2025 Overview Report

Quote(s)

The 2026 work programme marks another significant step towards a stronger, more sovereign Europe. We will continue working closely with the European Parliament and the Council to deliver on Europe’s priorities, to boost competitiveness, harness the power of our Single Market, simplify our rules and address the affordability crisis. Together, we will protect our citizens and uphold our values.

^{Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission}

This work programme is designed to strengthen EU competitiveness, security and democracy – in line with the expectations of our citizens. We are putting a clear and ambitious plan on the table to address the many challenges we face, and we will work hard with the co-legislators to turn its promise into reality.

^{Maroš Šefčovič, Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security; Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency}

A competitive Europe needs rules that work — rules that are simple, smart, and swiftly implemented, empowering people and businesses rather than burdening them. In just six months, we have turned ambition into action: six Omnibus packages, €8.6 billion in annual savings, and a renewed focus on implementation and enforcement. And this is only the beginning. With the 2026 Commission work programme adopted today, we are launching the next wave of simplification — building a culture that values results over bureaucracy, and efficiency over complexity.

^{Valdis Dombrovskis, Commissioner for Economy and Productivity; Implementation and Simplification}

Source – EU Commission

Questions and answers on the 2026 Commission work programme

Strasbourg, 21 October 2025

What is the Commission work programme?

The work programme outlines the main initiatives of the Commission for the coming year, in line with the Political Guidelines, mission letters and the ideas set out in the 2025 State of the union address and shaped by the evolving political context, to deliver tangible positive outcomes for citizens and businesses.

What is the key focus of the 2026 work programme?

This work programme called ‘Europe’s independence moment’, focuses on actions that will deepen Single Market integration, thus supporting the core priority of the current Commission mandate: competitiveness, growth, and economic resilience. It also aims to strengthen the EU’s capacities and power to determine our own destiny in areas that matter most to our citizens: prosperity, affordability, security, defence, and democracy. By prioritising simplification, effective implementation, and enforcement, the programme ensures that EU policies are streamlined and impactful, supporting Member States in achieving shared goals.

Why are simplification, effective implementation and enforcement key elements of the 2026 Commission work programme?

To boost competitiveness and economic growth, the EU needs a legal environment that makes business easier and faster in our Single Market. EU companies, including SMEs, flag regulatory obstacles and administrative burdens as their greatest challenge. Both the Draghi and Letta reports highlight administrative burden and the complexity of laws as limiting the EU’s economic potential and prosperity.

What is the Commission planning to do in 2026 to further deliver on the simplification agenda?

The Commission set targets to reduce administrative burdens by at least 25%, and by at least 35% for SMEs, without undermining policy objectives. The Commission has already put forward several omnibus and other simplification proposals aiming to deliver more than €8.6 billion in annual savings for European businesses and citizens.

Building on this momentum, more than half of the 2026 legislative initiatives will focus on reducing burdens. A new series of simplification initiatives and omnibus packages will simplify rules across key areas such as automotive, environment, taxation, food and feed safety, medical devices, simplifying energy product legislation and policies relevant for citizens. Other initiatives will streamline reporting, accelerate permitting, and align legislation to changing market conditions in areas such as public procurement. In addition, the Commission plans to update the rules for fair competition in media and audiovisual markets.

The Commission will continue screening EU laws and implementing rules to see if they are necessary to reach policy objectives and to understand where it can act to ease accumulated and undue burdens.

What can be done to further strengthen the implementation and enforcement of EU rules?

Strong implementation is as vital as good lawmaking. Through implementation dialogues, the Commission identifies simplification opportunities and addresses challenges. At the same time, enforcement of EU rules remains essential, and the Commission is ready to take resolute enforcement action in the interests of citizens and businesses across the Single Market.

Together with the adoption of the 2026 work programme, the Commission presents its first ever Annual Overview Report on Simplification, Implementation and Enforcement, detailing the actions that it has taken in these areas.

How can Europe achieve sustainable prosperity and competitiveness?

The Commission is committed to strengthening Europe’s economic foundation by removing barriers to the Single Market across all sectors—capital, energy, services, telecoms, knowledge, and innovation—to foster innovative digital and clean tech products and improve the circular economy. This comprehensive approach is key to creating an environment where European companies can grow and flourish under supportive, forward-looking rules.

Key initiatives to strengthen the EU innovation ecosystem and address the innovation gap include the introduction of the 28th regime for innovative companies, the Cloud and AI Development Act and the Chips Act, the Quantum Act, and the European Innovation Act. Crucially, the completion of the Savings and Investment Union will ensure the necessary capital flows to support these ambitious projects. This suite of actions is designed to boost knowledge and innovation, driving the development of next-generation technologies.

To deliver an affordable and secure energy future, the Commission is actively enhancing energy governance and streamlining administrative processes. The launch of the Electrification Action Plan, including heating and cooling, will accelerate the deployment of clean technologies, while the energy efficiency framework will set ambitious targets. The future of clean tech must be made in Europe and this is why we will accelerate work on enabling European lead markets. Circular Economy Act will aim to foster demand and supply of circular products.

What are the initiatives to improve European defence and security?

On defence, our aim is to strengthen the EU’s industry and capacity to respond to growing threats.

• In March 2025, the Commission proposed the White Paper for European Defence – Readiness 2030 and its ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030 as an ambitious defence package providing financial levers to EU Member States to drive an investment surge in defence capabilities.
• The activation of the national escape clause of the Stability and Growth Pact for defence purposes together with the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) loan form the backbone of the ReArm Europe Plan / Readiness 2030, enabling Member States to substantially and rapidly scale up their investments in European defence.
• As requested by the European Council in June, we have presented in October a Roadmap for Defence Readiness 2030. This outlines clear objectives and milestones to close capability gaps, accelerate defence investments across Member States, and guide the EU’s progress towards full defence readiness by 2030.

How can the Commission support people, strengthen societies and our social model?

The Commission aims to propose policies that deliver where it matters most for citizens, while at the same time contributing to sustainable growth and competitiveness:

• The Fair Mobility Package, including the skills mobility initiative will help workers use their qualifications and find new opportunities anywhere in the EU.
• The initiative on short term rentals will tackle the inefficient use of the current housing stock, while the European Affordable Housing Plan will mobilize public and private investment to boost affordable and sustainable housing.
• The Quality Jobs Act will build on the Quality Jobs Roadmap and address workers’ demands.
• The Anti-Poverty Strategy will address social exclusion and strengthen social services.
• The Intergenerational Fairness Strategy will support solidarity across generations.
• The new Gender Equality Strategy and the enhancement of the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with disabilities up to 2030 will reinforce equality, inclusion and participation across all areas of society.
• The Global Health Resilience Initiative will help respond faster to new health risks as they arise.
• The Strategy for Outermost Regions will address current challenges and opportunities.

How does the Commission protect nature, food, and water?

Food security and our agricultural sector must be supported. We need to ensure that farmers receive a fair price for their food and to protect them from unfair trading practices.

We will reinforce the competitiveness and fairness of the food chain, support rural communities and keep simplifying agricultural rules. The Livestock Strategy will ensure competitiveness, sustainability and resilience of the EU livestock sector, while the review of rules on unfair trading practices in the food chain will ensure that European farmers and small producers are better protected.

In addition, the Vision 2040 for fisheries and aquaculture will promote a sustainable blue economy and protect ocean biodiversity. We will present the Ocean Act.

What is the Commission doing to defend democracy and the rule of law?

Extremism, disinformation, cyberattacks and foreign interference threaten trust in democracy. The Commission will step up its efforts to protect people online, especially the youngest in our society. We will look closely at the issues around young people, particularly children and social media building on the recommendation of the Panel of experts.

The Digital Fairness Act and the Action Plan against Cyberbullying will ensure safer, fairer online spaces. We will also make proposals to strengthen accountability, transparency and public trust, while protecting independent justice systems from corruption and manipulation. Reforms to the EU’s anti-fraud framework will boost cooperation against financial crime. The new Anti-Corruption Strategy and the revision of the Directive on the protection of the Union’s financial interests will strengthen oversight and accountability.

How will the EU react to global developments?

The new EU–US trade framework will stabilise transatlantic trade and ensure EU exporters retain a highly competitive position in the crucial US market, while new agreements with Mercosur, Mexico, and Indonesia can open up new business opportunities and strengthen Europe’s global reach. The EU will continue to stand with Ukraine, supporting its reconstruction, reforms and path to membership. In the Middle East, EU will continue to support and actively contribute to consolidating durable stability in the region. We will put forward a Middle East strategy, including supporting the transition of Syria and Lebanon At the same time, reforms to the global humanitarian aid system will ensure faster and more effective action in times of crisis.

What are other success factors for the delivery of the Commission work programme?

Current challenges and future ambitions demand bold cooperation, decisive action, and shared commitment across the EU. The delivery of the Commission’s work programme hinges on strong ownership from all EU institutions, national and regional governments, businesses, civil society, and citizens. By uniting these efforts, the EU will drive impactful policies, foster innovation, and build a prosperous future for all.

Why did the Commission propose withdrawing some of its proposals?

The Commission has assessed all proposals currently pending with the European Parliament and Council. A number of these are either no longer in general interest in view of their adoption date, lack of progress in the legislative process, potential burden and non-alignment with the Union’s priorities.

As a result, the Commission has put forward a list of 25 draft laws which are proposed to be withdrawn (available in Annex IV to the programme).

In line with the interinstitutional agreement on better law-making, both the European Parliament and the Council can now express their views on the draft laws the Commission intends to withdraw. The Commission will then carefully take their views into account before deciding on next steps.

Why are some initiatives mentioned in mission Political Guidelines and Mission Letters not in the work programme?

The Commission’s work programme outlines our flagship priorities for the year. This does not preclude the ongoing work on all priorities outlined in the Political Guidelines and Mission Letters and the ideas set out in the 2025 State of the Union address.

For more information

Press release

Questions and answers on the 2025 Overview Report on Simplification, Implementation and Enforcement of EU rules

Strasbourg, 21 October 2025

What is the main goal of this report – and what does it include?

The European Commission is engaged in an unprecedented simplification effort to reduce the administrative burden and cost for businesses by €37.5 billion by the end of 2030. The 2025 Overview Report on Simplification, Implementation and Enforcement outlines concrete measures delivered so far, as well as what is on the table and the direction ahead.

The report presents:

• the proposed omnibus initiatives, which aim to reduce burdens and simplify legislation;
• the new tools and instruments that the Commission has put in place to speed up the simplification and implementation of EU laws, policies, and funding across Member States;
• the steps the Commission has taken to ensure that EU law is enforced, e.g. through dialogues with Member States and infringement procedures.

This is the first annual overview report summarising the main results of the Commission’s work towards a simpler and more agile Europe across three key components: simplification, implementation and enforcement. It covers the period from 1 January to 31 July 2025.

This report builds on the individual progress reports on simplification, implementation and enforcement.

Why is the Commission engaged in simplifying EU rules?

Simplification is an essential aspect of a necessary and ambitious EU competitiveness agenda. Over 60% of EU companies see regulation as an obstacle to investment, with 55% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) flagging regulatory obstacles and administrative burdens as their greatest challenge.

The Draghi and Letta reports also highlight that administrative burdens and complexity of EU laws are limiting the EU’s economic potential and prosperity.

Regular contacts with companies, experts and practitioners allow us to assess progress and identify simplification opportunities, key implementation challenges and gaps. That is why the Commission introduced implementation dialogues and ‘reality checks’ with stakeholders and directly with companies to understand the impact of EU legislation on their daily business operations.

What simplification initiatives have been undertaken and what will their effect be?

Starting in February 2025, the Commission has put forward proposals that aim to reduce administrative burden and simplify the EU legislative framework.

Proposed omnibus and simplification initiatives aim to bring more than €8.6 billion in annual savings for European businesses. This is a major step towards reaching the burden reduction target of at least 25% and at least 35% for SMEs. Moreover, with these measures, the Commission also cut additional one-off costs by €4 billion.

The six omnibus packages proposed so far cover:

• Sustainability: covering a far-reaching simplification in the fields of sustainability reporting, sustainability due diligence and taxonomy, which will lower costs by €4.5 billion. Additionally, the proposal on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, adopted in September, removes related obligations for approx. 182,000 – or 90% – of importers, most of which are SMEs, reducing their expenses by €1.2 billion.
• Investment simplification: facilitating the deployment and reporting of InvestEU and the European Fund for Strategic Investments, which will cut costs by €350 million, of which €324 million of one-off costs, and mobilise €50 billion in additional public and private investments.
• The common agricultural policy: reducing complexity and excessive administrative burden for farmers and national administrations in managing, monitoring and reporting, while leveraging digitalisation to cut annual costs for farmers by €1.58 billion and for administrators by €210 million.
• Small mid-caps, digitalisation and common specifications: enabling small mid-cap companies to use the same lighter regulatory requirements as SMEs and removing the need for paper formats in product legislation, which will result in cutting costs by €380 million.
• Defence: simplifying EU rules on the European defence industry to facilitate investment, improving funding access and raising readiness to deter major conflict.
• Chemicals: cutting compliance costs and administrative burden for the chemical industry, while maintaining a strong level of protection of public health and the environment. The proposal simplifies aspects related to the classification, labelling, and packaging of chemicals, fertilisers and cosmetics, lowering costs by €363 million, of which €290 million are recurrent costs.

How does the Commission identify the areas that need simplification?

The EU is taking a broad approach to make its rules simpler and more effective through:

• Implementation Dialogues: meetings that Commissioners hold directly with industry, SMEs, social partners and authorities who are impacted by EU policies. The Commissioners have engaged in 28 dialogues with over 550 stakeholders. These dialogues allowed the Commission to hear directly from practitioners about the challenges they face, good practices and opportunities for simplification in future proposals. The aim is to get concrete feedback on what works for them and what does not and to learn from their practical insights.
• Stress Testing: screening EU law to simplify it and make it more cost-effective. The areas for stress-testing are prioritised where burdens are felt most acutely and where there is the greatest potential to simplify. The priorities are drawn up based on stakeholder feedback on internal analysis , as well as the Draghi report and Letta report.
• Reality Checks: workshops with stakeholders who are implementing or directly affected by EU law. Their feedback helps to identify hurdles, as well as successful practices in transposing EU rules at national level, ensuring that the rules deliver the expected benefits. Over 40 reality checks have been carried out or planned. The input from these checks contribute to evaluations and simplification proposals.

What type of implementation support does the Commission provide to Member States to help them implement new policies and regulations?

The Commission is ensuring that Member States have the required support to implement new policies and regulations. To this aim, the Commission launched:

• a transposition roadmap IT tool and standardised templates to help Member States transpose EU directives.
• a Public Administration Cooperation and Exchange program and the Quality of Public Administration toolbox to build administrative capacity in the Member States. More so, the Just Transition Platform provided technical assistance to 14 Member States; the Smart Specialisation Community of Practice supported 15 Member States, and the Technical Support Instrument for various reforms and key EU policies supported all Member States.

• an Interoperable Europe Community, complemented by comprehensive guidelines and the Open-Source Software Catalogue to facilitate interoperability for cross-border digital services.
• and a cross-border enforcement operations, together with technical guidance and capacity building to support EU agencies in consistently applying EU law. For example, the European Labour Authority’s operations took off in seven Member States.

How does the Commission ensure EU rules are effectively enforced?

The EU’s efficacy and benefits of EU laws depend on their full and correct implementation. The Commission cooperates closely with Member States to avoid implementation issues from the outset, but resolute enforcement is necessary when cooperation fails. The Commission has made full use of its enforcement tools to ensure Member States implement jointly agreed rules:

• More pre-infringement dialogues: The Commission conducts informal dialogues with Member States to address potential breaches of EU law swiftly and gather information to ascertain whether there has been a breach, with high success rates observed in closed cases (67% in 2025).
• Infringement procedures: the Commission can launch formal procedures should cooperation not be sufficient to achieve timely compliance with EU rules. They are effective: so far in 2025, the Commission could close over 400 infringement cases as Member States achieved compliance. This means tangible improvements for our people and businesses, as set out in the report.
• Court referrals and financial sanctions: In the first seven months of 2025, the Commission referred 45 cases to the Court of Justice, proposing to impose financial sanctions on the Member State concerned in 15 cases. The Commission has increased the number of referrals to Court in recent years to ensure that EU law is enforced fully and correctly.

What are the next steps?

It is up to the European Parliament and the Council to agree on the proposed simplification initiatives.

The EU will continue making EU rules simpler and more straightforward to implement, with a clear emphasis on simplification proposals. To that aim, more than half of the initiatives announced in the Commission’s Work programme for 2026 are simplification proposals.

All Commissioners will continue engaging with stakeholders through implementation dialogues and with the European Parliament and the Council through the Annual Progress Reports on Simplification, Implementation and Enforcement.

The Commission will also keep developing targeted support tools and reinforce capacity-building programs for Member States to ensure they have the resources needed for successful implementation.

For more information

Press release