In the first meeting of 2018, the College of Commissioners discussed the institutional priorities for this year, a year to deliver on the reform of the Economic and Monetary Union, secure the EU’s borders, overhaul the EU’s asylum system, get back to Schengen, complete the Digital Single Market, and bring the Western Balkans closer to the Union.
89 priority files are currently on the table, 29 have already been delivered, and the College discussed how to ensure that the rest is finalised before May 2019. The orientation debate also included an overview of the major new proposals to be expected for 2018, which will feed into the Roadmap for a more united, stronger and more democratic Union.
The Commission will focus on fairness, ensuring Europe can respond in a quicker and more decisive way, using our Treaties to the fullest, and making sure Europe is leading the way in grasping new opportunities and facing up to new challenges.
At the same time, the Commission’s approach will be balanced, which is why President Juncker created a new Task Force on Subsidiarity, Proportionality and “Doing Less More Efficiently” on 14 November 2017 as a follow-up to the White Paper on the Future of Europe and the State of the Union address. This was presented by First Vice-President Timmermans who debriefed the College on the state of play.
The Task Force will be composed of Members of the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions and national Parliamentarians with the objective of making recommendations on how to better apply the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, identifying policy areas where work could be re-delegated or definitely returned to Member States, as well as ways to better involve regional and local authorities in EU policy making and delivery.
