The Council took note of the presentation by the
Commission of its work programme for 2011.
This Work Programme is built on the five main political
priorities for the EU set out by President Barroso in the first State of the
Union Address, delivered before the European Parliament in September 2010:
(1) Dealing with the economic crisis and building the
momentum of the recovery
- Strengthening economic governance and initiating the European
Semester: the Commission has recently
tabled a significant package of proposals to strengthen the tools of
economic governance and extend them to include the coordination of
economic and fiscal policies. To maintain the momentum, the Commission calls
upon co-EU legislators to advance quickly in their political
deliberations;
- Financial regulation: completing the reform: a comprehensive timeline for delivery of proposals to
complete the EU's financial reform was presented in June 2010. Early in
2011, the Commission will table the remaining proposals to complete the
financial sector reform.
A joint goal of the European institutions should
be to have the full reform agreed by the end of 2011, thus putting in
place an advanced system of financial regulation.
(2) Restoring growth for jobs by accelerating the Europe
2020 reform agenda
- Smart growth: during 2011,
the concrete proposals announced in the flagships will be rolled out and
implemented through complementary action at European and national level;
- Sustainable growth:the
Commission will set out its vision for “Resource efficiency" as a
flagship initiative in 2011. This will break new ground in terms of
integrated policy making at EU level. The aim will be to build progressively
a framework based on resource efficiency to include the shift to a
low-carbon society and which sets sectoral policies including energy,
transport and the management of natural resources such as agriculture
and fisheries within a long-term sustainable framework. A particular
focus in 2011 will be on energy infrastructure and efficiency, which
have immediate environmental, economic and energy security benefits,
including huge job-creating potential. The White Paper on the future of
transport policy will examine the completion of the European transport
area to provide an efficient, seamless infrastructure around a core network,
building on innovation to achieve low-carbon transport.During 2011
the Commission will continue to work to combat climate change;
- Inclusive growth: before the
end of 2010 the Commission will publish its fifth cohesion report and
propose two more Europe 2020 flagships – on "New Skills and
Jobs" and "a Platform against Poverty". A number of
concrete measures designed to promote inclusive growth will be set out
in 2011;
- Tapping the potential of the Single Market for growth: the Commission will continue to open up market access for
our companies, in particular small and medium sized enterprises. An important
aspect will be the presentation in 2011 of proposals for the
modernisation of public procurement rules and the establishment of
common rules concerning concession contracts. Other concrete initiatives
targeted at SMEs during 2011 will include a regulation on the management
of cross-border debt recovery. In the area of taxation, a proposal for a
Common Consolidated Corporate Tax base (CCCTB) will aim to open the
possibility for companies to opt for a system to make tax rules simpler.
(3) Building an area of freedom, justice and security: as part of its efforts at strengthening
citizens' rights in 2011, the Commission will propose:
- a
legal instrument on European Contract Law;
- a
Directive on the rights of victims of crime;
- drafting
legislative proposals for introducing minimum standards for procedural
in criminal proceedings, notably in the field of legal assistance and
legal aid;
- drafting
legislative proposals for a Registered Travellers Programme and an
Entry/Exit System for third country nationals;
- a
framework on the confiscation and recovery of illicit assets and
Communications on a comprehensive policy against corruption and
anti-fraud strategy;
- a
revision of the civil protection legislation.
(4) Launching negotiations for a modern EU budget: Europe as a whole is experiencing a period
of austerity in public finances. The EU budget must be targeted to policies
and areas where it can make a real difference, supporting medium and long
term investment, and bring real added value in support of the Union's policy
objectives – most obviously the EU budget should be one of the key tools to
deliver Europe 2020. It must also be delivered in ways which maximise its
impact.
In June 2011, the Commission will present its formal
proposals for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), covering both
expenditure and the financing of the budget. On the spending side, the
proposal will set out how and where the Commission believes it can use the
budget to deliver EU policies most effectively. On the financing side, the
Commission will make a proposal for a new own resources decision. In
the coming months the Commission will issue a number of Communications and
reports on key policy areas, in particular the reform of the common
agricultural policy, of the common fisheries and the future of cohesion
policy, which will also serve as the policy basis for the budgetary proposals
of the MFF. The Commission will present detailed legal proposals for the specific
financial instruments and programmes that should implement the new MFF.
(5) Pulling the EU's weight on the global stage: the Commission will continue to support the new
European External Action Service and help to develop a new phase in
external policies. The EU has already focused on the need to have a clear
vision for our relations with strategic partners, as well as a strong and
consistent position in international negotiations.
- A comprehensive trade policy:
the Commission will pursue ongoing negotiations with its trading
partners, including through driving forward the several major bilateral agreements
planned for conclusion in 2011 and keeping up the pressure for a
breakthrough in WTO negotiations. The Commission will present in 2011 a
legislative proposal for an EU instrument to improve access to public
procurement markets in developed and large emerging economies, building
on the implementation of international commitments. It will make a
legislative proposal for a new Regulation on the Generalised System of
Preference;
- EU enlargement, neighbourhood, development policies
and humanitarian aid:
in 2011, the EU will continue to steer the enlargement process. The
Commission will continue to help to deepen the EU's special relationship
with these neighbours, including by carrying out a review of the EU's
neighbourhood policy leading to proposals in 2011 for its further
development in its bilateral and multilateral (Eastern Partnership,
Union for the Mediterranean) dimensions. It will present a proposal for
a Revision of Council Regulation concerning humanitarian aid.