On Sunday 1 November 2015, the Juncker Commission marks one year in office. At the beginning of his mandate, President Juncker said this would be a new start for Europe, and that his Commission would focus on ten political priorities, the key challenges that face both our economy and society.
The Commission’s €315 billion investment plan to kick-start jobs and growth is up and running. The first projects are in operation and many more will follow. Throughout the past year the European Commission has made concrete proposals, putting in place the building blocks of the Energy Union, the Digital Single Market, a Capital Markets Union and a fair and efficient corporate taxation. With the Five President’s Report, it presented an ambitious and yet pragmatic roadmap for deepening our Economic and Monetary Union followed by a set of legislative measures.
The negotiations on TTIP have continued, and the Commission took steps to make the negotiation process more transparent and play a greater role on the international stage. And last but not least, the Commission has been consistently and continuously working for a coordinated European response on the refugees and migration front – one of the most pressing challenges Europe is currently facing. Since May 2015, two implementation packages under the European Agenda on Migration have been adopted and the measures therein are starting to be deployed. This includes the relocation of 160,000 refugees and the mobilisation of nearly €10 billion in 2015 and 2016 from the EU budget to help tackle the refugee crisis. These are just a few examples of the actions the Juncker Commission has undertaken to regain the trust of citizens and contribute to jobs and growth in Europe. For further information in each of the 10 priority areas, a comprehensive press pack can be found here.
