THE EC WORK PROGRAMME FOR EUROPEAN DEMOCRACY IN 2022

The EC will

1. carefully listen to the ideas and input produced, and ready to follow up on what is agreed by the Conference on the Future of Europe.
2. implement new and innovative tools to transform the manner in which we engage with our citizens. This will help ensure that young people can lead the debate.
3. take further steps to improve transparency, accountability and independence around actions affecting media freedom and pluralism by tabling a European media freedom act.
4. continue its work as the Guardian of the Treaties in ensuring that challenges to the rule of law are identified and addressed, including making specific recommendations to Member States in the 2022 rule of law report. It will also take the necessary actions to uphold the primacy of EU law. And it will draw on the full range of tools to ensure a consistent and effective approach, including with a view to protecting EU taxpayers’ money.
5. continue working on a common legal framework for the efficient transfer of criminal proceedings between Member States, to step up the fight against cross border crime. We will also assess how to achieve convergence on pre-trial detention and detention conditions between Member States as part of improving cross-border cooperation in criminal matters.
6.  continue its work to ensure that the Union of equality becomes a reality for all. All citizens should feel safe and without fear of discrimination or violence on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, or age.
7. propose measures to strengthen the role and independence of equality bodies.
8. propose measures to improve the recognition of parenthood between Member States and to strengthen judicial cooperation on the protection of vulnerable adults in cross-border situations.
9. propose measures to prevent and combat violence against women along with an initiative in 2022 to support Member States in improving prevention and taking support measures to tackle harmful practices against women and girls.
10. look to make progress on the design of the new interinstitutional EU Ethics Body, including by continuing to work closely with the other institutions to find the necessary common ground on the scope, role and competences of the future Body.
11. table an initiative on brain drain and mitigating the challenges associated with population decline that will look into the different drivers, the long-term consequences and potential solutions to stop or even reverse brain drain.