REVIEW OF EC WORK PROGRAMME 2015

New Boost for Jobs, Growth and Investment

1. The Investment Plan for Europe: The follow-up actions include setting up of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), promoting cooperation with National Promotional Banks and improving access to finance for SMEs.

2. Promoting integration and employability in the labour market: A package of measures to support Member States in getting people, especially the longer term unemployed and younger people, into work and developing a skilled workforce. This will include measures to follow up on the implementation of the Youth Employment Initiative, a proposal for a Council recommendation on integration of the long term unemployed, as well as measures to promote skills development.

3. Mid-term review of the Europe 2020: Improved and updated Europe 2020 strategy, drawing lessons from the first four years of the strategy and ensuring it acts as an effective post-crisis strategy for growth and jobs in Europe. Follows up on the recent public consultation.

Connected Digital Single Market

4. Digital Single Market (DSM) Package: The aim is to ensure that consumers enjoy cross-border access to digital services, create a level-playing field for companies and create the conditions for a vibrant digital economy and society. The package will include, among other legislative proposals, the modernisation of copyright.

Resilient Energy Union with a Forward-Looking Climate Change Policy

5. Strategic Framework for the Energy Union: The Strategy Framework will focus on: energy supply security; integration of national energy markets; reduction in European energy demand; decarbonising the energy mix and promoting research and innovation in the energy field. It will include the revision of the EU Emissions Trading System as part of the legislative framework post-2020.

6. Communication on the Road to Paris – multilateral response to climate change: The objective is to outline the EU vision and expectations and explain partner ambition in the context of the 2015 Agreement and set out the EU contribution further to the European Council conclusions of 24 October 2014.

Deeper and Fairer Internal Market with a Strengthened Industrial Base

7. Internal Market Strategy for goods and services: A strategy for a renewed and integrated approach for the Single Market, to deliver further integration and improve mutual recognition and standardisation in key industrial and services sectors where the economic potential is greatest, e.g. business services, construction, retail, regulated professions, advanced manufacturing and combined services/goods provision. A particular focus will be on SMEs.

8. Labour Mobility Package: The package aims at supporting labour mobility and tackling abuse by means of better coordination of social security systems, the targeted review of the Posting of Workers Directive and an enhanced EURES.

9. Capital Markets Union: An action plan for improving the financing of the economy through more efficient market-based financing instruments including work towards a framework for high quality securitisation.

10. Framework for resolution of financial institutions other than banks: Legislative Proposal to create a European framework for the recovery and resolution of systemically relevant financial institutions such as Central Clearing Counterparties.

11. Aviation Package: The package will include a Communication identifying challenges and measures for improving the competitiveness of the EU Aviation sector, the revision of the EASA Regulation 216/2008.

Deeper and Fairer Economic and Monetary Union

12. Deepening Economic and Monetary Union Package: The package will follow-up on the review of the most recent economic governance measures ('six-pack' and 'two-pack'), provide incentives for structural reforms and address the external representation of the Economic and Monetary Union.

13. Proposal for a Directive with a view to providing for compulsory exchange of information in respect of cross border rulings: The proposal will ensure the exchange of relevant information between tax authorities of different Member States on advance interpretations or applications of legal provisions in cross border situations of an individual taxpayer.

14. Action Plan on efforts to combat tax evasion and tax fraud, including a Communication on a renewed approach for corporate taxation in the Single Market in the light of global developments : The Action Plan will, starting from the work done on base erosion and profit sharing at OECD and G20 levels, include measures at EU level in order to move to a system on the basis of which the country where profits are generated is also the country of taxation, including in the digital economy. The Communication will aim at a stabilising corporate tax bases in the EU for a fair taxation environment, including relaunching work towards a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base.

Trade: A Reasonable and Balanced Free Trade Agreement with the U.S.

15. Trade and Investment Strategy for Jobs and Growth: A comprehensive review of the EU’s trade policy strategy, and in particular its contribution to jobs, growth and investment. The review will cover all aspects of trade policy, including bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral negotiations as well as autonomous measures. It will include policy orientations in all these areas for the next five years.

An Area of Justice and Fundamental Rights Based on Mutual Trust

16. Proposals to complete EU accession to the ECHR: Legislative Proposals to allow for signature, conclusion and implementation of the accession agreement, in the light of the pending guidance from the Court.

17. European Agenda on Security: The Communication will propose a European Agenda on Security for the period 2015-2020 by reviewing the ongoing actions and identifying new actions taking into account emerging threats.

Towards a New Policy on Migration

18. European Agenda on Migration: The objective is to develop a new approach on legal migration to make the EU an attractive destination for talents and skills, as well as to improve the management of migration by intensifying cooperation with third countries, fostering burden sharing and solidarity and fighting against irregular migration and smuggling. The agenda includes the review of the Blue Card Directive, the EU-wide work permit for highly skilled workers.

A Stronger Global Actor

19. Communication on European Neighbourhood Policy: The joint High Representative-Commission Communication will present the results of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) review with a view to new policy orientations following a consultation launched together with the annual ENP package.

20. Communication on the post 2015 Sustainable Development Goals: The Communication aims at establishing EU common position on the Global Partnership to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals. It will cover both financial and non-financial implementation, domestic/international and public/private financing, different types of partnerships as well as monitoring, accountability arrangements and review.

A Union of Democratic Change

21. Proposal for an inter-institutional agreement on better law-making: A proposal to update and strengthen the common understanding with the European Parliament and the Council in relation to better regulation.

22. Proposal for an inter-institutional agreement on a mandatory Transparency Register: The proposal for an inter-institutional agreement with the European Parliament and the Council will enhance openness and accountability by making the transparency register mandatory for all interest representatives seeking to influence policy making in any of the three institutions.

23. Review of the GMO decision-making process: The review will look at how the rules could be changed to better ensure the majority view of Member States is taken into account.