27 October, Brussels – The European Commission has today adopted its 2016 Work programme, outlining its priority actions for the next year. These include 23 key initiatives, across the ten priorities established by Juncker at the beginning of his tenure, as well as a number of proposal withdrawals and reviews of existing legislation.
A key priority of the Juncker Commission is the creation of the Energy Union, and next year should see publication of the first proposals for achieving this, as envisioned in the Energy Union Strategy. The Energy Unions seeks to secure Europe’s energy supply and reduce import dependency, integrate national energy markets, put energy efficiency first and de-carbonise the economy. To support this, the Commission will develop an integrated strategy for Energy Union research, innovation and competitiveness in order to tap into the jobs and growth potential of the low-carbon economy.
The new Circular Economy Package is also to be published in 2016, following the withdrawal of the Package put forward by the Barroso Commission. The Juncker Commission will implement an Action Plan on the Circular Economy to create a single market for the re-use of materials and resources and support the move away from a linear economy. The Action Plan will take account of all parts of the economic cycle, from sourcing to production, consumption, waste and recycling and innovation to harness economically and environmentally efficient business opportunities.
Click to see the Commission’s Work Programme 2016, ‘No Time for Business as Usual’, and its accompanying Annex on New Initiatives. Additional Annexes are available through the Commission’s Press Release.