CONFERENCE ON THE FUTURE OF EUROPE AND PROPOSALS THE EC INTENDS TO TABLE

1.Climate Change and Environment

1. Introduction of food waste reduction targets;
2. Green claims for labels based on footprint methods;
3. Legislation on sustainable food systems (including sustainable food labelling);
4. Guidelines on the antitrust derogation for sustainability agreements in agriculture;
5. Action plan to conserve fisheries resources and protect marine ecosystems;
6. Joint Communication on the EU’s international ocean governance agenda;
7. Update of the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive;
8. Revision of the maximum residue limits for certain pesticides as regards imported food taking into account environmental aspects of global concern;
9. Revision of the data requirements, approval criteria and assessment principles for microorganisms to facilitate their access to the market in low-risk plant protection products;
10. Legislation for binding EU nature restoration targets;
11. Carbon removal certification;
12. Policy framework for bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics;
13. Legislative proposal on animal welfare including to phase out, and finally prohibit, the use of cage systems for an expanded range of animals following the successful ‘End the Cage Age’ European Citizens’ Initiative;
14. Review of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, which aims to protect the marine ecosystem and biodiversity;
15. Review of the mandate of the European Maritime Safety Agency;
16. Revision of the Directive on ship-source pollution;
17. Revision of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive;
18. Revised list of surface and groundwater pollutants;
19. Guidelines to support implementation of the Water Reuse Regulation;
20. Revision of ambient air quality legislation to help apply the polluter pays principle;
21. Revision of EU pollinators initiative to better protect insects;
22. Measures to reduce the unintentional release of microplastics in the environment;
23. Communication on revamping the Strategic Energy Technology Plan;
24. Multimodal digital mobility services, to better integrate public transport and rail services and facilitate digital journey-planning;
25. CountEmissionsEU in the field of transport;
26. Revision of the Air Services Regulation and Slots Regulation;
27. Alliance on Zero Emissions Aviation to accelerate the transition to carbon-neutral flight;
28. Greening freight package, including proposal on heavy duty vehicles;
29. Legislation on forest observation, reporting and a data collection framework;
30. Review of the Waste Framework Directive, also to prevent waste, to harmonise waste collection systems and to create harmonised EU extended producer responsibility rules for textiles with eco-modulation of fees;
31. Customs reform that will seek to take the Customs Union to the next level, equipping it with a stronger framework to better protect EU citizens and the single market;
32. Soil Health Law;
33. Initiative on substantiating green claims;
34. Review of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive, including possible action on refund schemes;
35. Initiative on sustainable consumption of goods to address planned obsolescence and the right of repair;
36. Extension of producer responsibility schemes, providing incentives and encouraging sharing of information and good practices in waste recycling;
37. Single Use Plastics – Implementing Decision laying down rules for the calculation, verification and reporting of recycled content in single-use plastic beverage bottles;
38. Euro7 emissions standards for cars, vans, lorries and buses;
39. Strategic Foresight report on twinning the green and digital transitions in a new geopolitical context;

2. Health

1. Revision of the Food Information to Consumers Regulation, including a harmonised mandatory front-of-pack nutritional labelling in order to empower consumers to make informed, healthy and sustainable food choices;
2. Recommendation for Safe and Sustainable by Design materials and chemicals to provide industry and regulators guidance to make new materials and chemicals; µ
3. Revised pharmaceutical legislation ensuring faster access to quality, safe, affordable and greener medicines in all Member States;
4. Revised legislation on medicines for rare diseases and children;
5. Action plan for the better management of nutrients;
6. Recommendation on vaccine-preventable cancers;
7. Update of the Recommendation on cancer screening;
8. Innovative approaches to research and public procurement for antimicrobials and their alternatives;
9. New action to facilitate the exchange and transplant of kidneys for specific recipients and donors under the 2023 EU4Health work programme;
10. New Global Health Strategy;

3. Stronger Economy, Social Justice and Jobs

1. Economic Governance Review;
2. Recommendation on minimum income;
3. Recommendation on knowledge valorisation;
4. Amendment of the Asbestos at Work Directive;
5. European Innovation Agenda addressing key bottlenecks for maximum impact of EU policy initiatives and instruments supporting innovation;
6. Review of the Horizontal Block Exemption Regulations and guidelines that clarify for businesses when they can cooperate with rivals;
7. Review of the Market Definition Notice;
8. Merger control in the EU – further simplification of procedures;
9. Review of the De Minimis Regulation;
10. Guidelines about collective agreements regarding the working conditions of solo self employed people;
11. Digital euro;
12. Scope and effects of legal tender of euro banknotes and coins;
13. Report on essential services;
14. Report on the implementation of the Working Time Directive;
15. Guidance on Distributional Impact Assessment;
16. Package to improve the labour market outcomes for persons with disabilities;
17. Open finance framework;
18. Review of EU rules on payment services;
19. Retail investment strategy and legislative package;
20. Business in Europe: Framework for Income Taxation (BEFIT);
21. Initiative for tackling the role of enablers involved in facilitating tax evasion and aggressive tax planning;
22. Directive on the implementation of the OECD global agreement on re-allocation of taxing rights;
23. Pilot on the European Social Security Pass (ESSPASS);
24. Initiative on social dialogue;
25. Application, enforcement and awareness raising on EU rights on work-life balance, including parental leave;
26. Communication on Brain Drain and an accompanying initiative to enhance brain gain;
27. Recommendation on developing social economy framework conditions;
28. European Care Strategy, accompanied by a proposal for the revision of the Barcelona targets on early childhood education and care and a proposal for a Council Recommendation on long-term care;
29. Second basket of new own resources;
30. Review of the Council Recommendation on a quality framework for traineeships;

4. EU in the World

1. Instrument to reinforce European defence industrial capabilities through joint procurement;
2. Regulation setting up a joint European Defence Investment Programme;
3. European legislation on Critical Raw Materials;
4. Single Market Emergency Instrument to react quickly during future crises and guarantee the circulation of goods and people, access to vital supplies and services at all times;
5. Customs support in implementing rules on child labour;
6. Digital partnerships announced in the Indo-Pacific Strategy;
7. Contribution of trade agreements to sustainable development – outcome of the Trade and Sustainable development review;
8. Ratification of recently concluded trade agreements to cement key relationships;
9. Youth Action Plan in EU external action;
10. A strategy for drones and unmanned aircraft;

5.Values and Rights, Rule of Law Security

1. Media Freedom Act;
2. European Disability Card;
3. Strengthening the role and independence of equality bodies;
4. Legislative proposal on the Recognition of parenthood between Member States

6.Digital Transformation

1. European Cyber Resilience Act;
2. Revised Broadband Cost Reduction Directive;
3. Revised State aid guidelines for broadband networks;
4. Recommendation on improving the provision of digital skills in education and training;
5. Recommendation on enabling factors for digital education;
6. Union Position amending international Radio Regulations for the World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 helping unhindered communication across the EU;
7. European Digital Skills Certification;
8. Liability for artificial intelligence;
9. Fitness check of EU consumer law on digital fairness;
10. Revision of Product Liability Directive;
11. Proposal for an EU governments interoperability strategy;
12. An Action Plan for the digitisation of energy systems and tackling the energy use of digital infrastructure;
13. GreenData4All – updated rules on geospatial environmental data and access to environmental information;
14. Initiative on VAT in the Digital Age;

7.European Democracy

1. Citizenship Report 2023;
2. Dedicating time and resources to organise citizens’ panels with the aim to deep-dive into a select number of key themes and help prepare particularly important sets of key initiatives and receive feedback from ahead of launch of legislative process;
3. Organising smaller targeted deliberative or co-creation/co-design processes, run in a smaller scale, to address specific policy issues more cost-effectively and in a timelier way;
4. A coherent and meaningful approach to ensure youth involvement in policy-making, though their systematic participation in citizens panels, in the smaller deliberative co-creation processes, as well as by a specific attention to the impact of envisaged policies on the young generation;
5. Developing further the Have Your Say portal to make it even more easily accessible online hub that pulls together all information on citizens’ engagement mechanisms running in the Commission. The platform will be strengthened by integrating the deliberative features of the Conference’s platform and other relevant ‘civic tech’ functions, including online participatory events;
6. Further enhancing online and offline interactions and to promote locally citizens’ engagement;
7. Integrating citizens-focused information and communication throughout the policy-making process, to foster active citizenship and democratic participation - including ahead of the European elections - in a spirit of shared responsibility by EU institutions, Member States at all levels, and civil society;
8. Use accessible language in all its public communication adapted to the channels and formats of communication used towards the different audiences;
9. Developing a new system for submitting and handling requests for access to documents, including a public portal for the citizens;
10. Further developing Europe Direct centres into local EU contact hubs;

8.Migration

1. EU-wide awareness-raising campaign on migration;
2. Multiannual communication campaign aimed at raising visibility of the EU skills profile tool for third country nationals;

9. Education, Culture, Youth and Sport

1. Recommendation for Pathways to School Success, which focuses on support to school pupils who have problems in acquiring basic skills, on a secondary school leaving certificate, and on bringing down the share of young people who have left school prematurely;
2. Review of the European school fruit, vegetables and milk scheme;
3. Awareness raising campaign to study science subjects;
4. Multiannual communication campaign aimed at raising visibility of EURES;
5. Updating the learning mobility framework;