What is the European Commission planning for 2026? Newsletter

2 weeks ago

Key diary dates

Monday 20 October : European Parliament — statement connected nan determination to enforce a good connected Google: defending property and media state successful nan EU.
Tuesday 21 October : 2026 Commission activity programme Communication connected nan generational renewal successful agriculture 2025 yearly overview study connected simplification, implementation, and enforcement
Thursday 23 October : EU leaders gathering successful Brussels to talk Ukraine, nan Middle East, European defence and security, competitiveness and copy transition, lodging and migration.

In spotlight

The European Commission is group to unveil its 2026 activity programme connected Tuesday, outlining nan caller initiatives planned for adjacent year. A draught archive dated 14 October and seen by Euronews includes some caller ideas and older proposals that were initially meant for 2025.

One of nan initiatives postponed to 2026 is nan European Biotech Act, which Commissioner Várhelyi had primitively hoped to hole by nan extremity of this year. The Act will present measures to accelerate nan travel of biotech products from nan laboratory to factories — and yet to nan market.

On health, nan Commission will besides coming nan Global Health Resilience Initiative, announced by President von der Leyen during her State of nan Union reside past month.

Although nan draught remains taxable to change, it highlights cardinal proposals aimed astatine boosting invention and competitiveness, improving moving conditions and equality rights, and addressing fragmentation wrong nan EU’s azygous market.

In nan first 4th of 2026, nan EU executive will coming a single marketplace roadmap for 2028, mounting retired clear targets and deadlines to flooded barriers crossed various sectors, including finance, services, and energy.

A connection for a “28th regime” is besides expected early adjacent year. This optional, harmonised EU ineligible model is designed to make it easier for innovative companies to commencement up and run crossed each personnel states.

More omnibus packages are besides connected nan way, covering areas specified arsenic energy, taxation, and nan simplification of defence procurement.

But it’s not each astir caller ideas — adjacent year’s scheme besides includes reviews of existing laws that whitethorn require updates aliases capacity checks. These see nan Chips Act, nan Animal Health Regulation, nan Tobacco Control legislation, and nan Fertilising Products Regulation, among others.

Finally, 1 of nan astir intimately watched parts of nan 2026 activity programme will beryllium nan conception connected withdrawals. This portion reveals which legislative files will extremity up successful nan Commission’s wastebasket — and which mightiness beryllium revived successful a caller form.

In precocious 2024, we saw attempts (some successful) to scrap nan AI Liability Directive, nan 2023 FiDA proposal, and nan Equal Treatment Directive — nan second brought backmost to life earlier this year. So, get fresh for different information of EU argumentation battles — popcorn optional.

Policy newsmakers

Fitto versus MEPs connected nan adjacent MFF (2028-34)

The EU Commission is presently facing nan mobility of whether aliases not to alteration nan bloc's long-term fund connection for aft 2027. Since nan EU executive projected merging cultivation and regional funds into a azygous cookware to beryllium managed by nationalist governments successful July, disapproval has been mounting from various quarters, including farmers, regions, personnel states and MEPs. The second person even threatened to cull nan proposal in November if changes are not made. “If nan Commission ignores our demands, our members spot a rejection arsenic unavoidable,” lead MEP Sigfried Muresan said successful a connection connected Wednesday. Last Thursday, EU Commissioner Raffaele Fitto told location representatives successful Brussels that nan EU executive was open to introducing immoderate changes. However, later that day, a Commission spokesperson suggested nan opposite. "At this stage, nan Commission does not estimate connected individual elements of nan connection aliases individual positions by nan co-legislators," nan connection said, adding that nan institution is "engaged successful constructive exchanges" pinch MEPs and personnel states.