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Consolidating 50 years of
delivery. The Commission work programme for 2007
The European Commission has today
adopted its work programme for 2007. As the European
Union prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the
Treaties of Rome, the Commission has mapped out the
concrete action it will take to meet its strategic
objectives for 2007. For the first time, the Commission
identifies a series of 21 strategic initiatives that
will be the main focus of its work in 2007. In addition,
the Commission sets out a further series of priority
actions to be adopted over the next 12 to 18 months. The
work programme takes the better regulation initiative to
a new phase, by identifying simplification initiatives
and withdrawals of pending legislation, and includes a
list of priorities for communicating with citizens for
the first time.
President of the European Commission, José Manuel
Barroso, said: “This document is our political programme
for 2007. It sets out our strategic initiatives and
builds on our commitment to provide value added to
Europe’s citizens. We have sought to strengthen both the
policy content and the process. Consultations with the
other institutions will be more extensive than before
and we are determined to strengthen our commitment to
better regulation with a guarantee to deliver what we
promise”.
Margot Wallström, Vice-President for institutional
relations and communication strategy, added, "2007 will
be a crucial year for the search of a institutional
reform. The Commission will fully participate in this
process and will cooperate with the Presidency, and all
the European institutions, with the aim of contributing
to a comprehensive institutional settlement. I am also
happy that the Work Programme contains a strong message
on Communication. We have to communicate on our
political priorities, and explain to citizens the added
value of our activities".
The 2007 strategic priorities build on the four overall
priorities for the Barroso Commission: prosperity,
solidarity, security, and a stronger voice in the world,
and the “Citizen’s Agenda: Delivering Results for
Europe” document adopted on 10 May 2006.
The priorities for concrete action in 2007 are to
modernise the European economy and equip Europe with the
capacity to respond to the challenge of globalisation.
This will include a new phase in the action at EU level
on the Lisbon strategy for growth and jobs, a Single
Market review and a comprehensive stocktaking of
European society. The 2007 work programme also responds
to the need for a better management of migration flows
with specific proposals on economic immigrants and
minimum sanctions for employers of illegally staying
third-country nationals.
Energy will be at the top of the policy agenda in 2007
and the Commission will present the first Strategic
Energy review for Europe. In parallel the Commission
will put forward a Green Paper on options for EU climate
change and the perspectives for international
co-operation post-2012.
The Commission will also seek to provide value added by
helping to make Europe a better place to live. A White
Paper on health strategy will set out how the European
level can contribute to health and a strategy will also
be proposed in the field of social services and the
contribution that can be made to better urban transport.
In the external field, the annual enlargement strategy
paper will allow the Union to take stock of the progress
made by countries in the enlargement process. A renewed
market access strategy will help to address barriers to
trading relationships while the Commission continues to
seek agreement on the Doha Development Round. The
Commission will also reinforce European Neighbourhood
Policy and seek to make progress in negotiations with
major strategic partners such as Russia, China and
Ukraine.
The Work Programme for 2007 is conceived and presented
in a significantly different way than in previous years.
The Work Programme sets out the concrete actions at the
core of the Commission's political delivery during 2007
– the Commission's strategic initiatives. In addition,
the Commission commits to develop a series of priority
initiatives, to be adopted over the next 12 to 18 months
depending on the depth and intensity of preparation
needed to meet the quality standards of Better
Regulation.
In 2007, full compliance with better regulation
principles will become still more important. Impact
assessment will be carried out on initiatives with the
potential for significant economic, social and
environmental impacts. The proposals put forward have
been or are the subject of wide public consultation, to
ensure that citizens and all interested parties are
fully involved in the decision-making process. In line
with the commitment taken vis-à-vis the European
Parliament, the 2007 Commission Legislative and Work
Programme for the first time fully integrates
simplification initiatives and withdrawals of pending
proposals. A list of priorities for communicating with
citizens is also included for the first time.
The work programme is only one part of the work of the
Commission. Throughout the year, the Commission remains
responsible for managing financial and operational
programmes, within Europe and throughout the world. It
has direct responsibility for managing a series of
complex common policies and for ensuring the acquis is
properly applied. It has a special role as guardian of
the common European interest. This is also reflected for
the first time in the Commission Legislative and Work
Programme for 2007.
The work programme for 2007 can be found on:
http://ec.europa.eu/atwork/programmes/index_en.htm |
