CoR Plenary (December 2021)

Local and regional authorities, represented in the EU by the European Committee of the Regions, have always been the backbone of European democracy. The recent COVID-19 pandemic showed local and regional leaders as the driving force of local communities, responding during the emergency and leading the EU's recovery. Bringing Europe closer to people through its villages, cities and regions will therefore be the primary mission of our Committee achieved through three main priorities.

The key documents of the European Commission 2022 Work Programme

This EPRS paper analyses progress in attaining the policy agenda set out by Ursula von der Leyen, and her College of Commissioners when they took office in December 2019. It looks in particular at the state of play in respect of delivery on the six key priorities asserted at that time. Concretely, EPRS finds that, following the July 2021 plenary session, of the nearly 400 initiatives foreshadowed by the von der Leyen Commission on taking office or since, just over half have already been submitted. Of these, almost half have already been adopted, while the great majority of the remainder are either proceeding normally in the legislative process or are close to adoption. Conversely, a certain number are proceeding very slowly or are currently blocked. While the Commission's first priority, the European Green Deal, ranks highest in the number of initiatives announced, its third priority, 'An economy that works for people', has the highest number so far actually adopted.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's second State of the Union address, scheduled for 15 September 2021, will be delivered at a time when the coronavirus pandemic continues to pose challenges for the European Union and its Member States. At the same time, thanks to the adoption of the multiannual financial framework for the 2021-2027 period, new opportunities lie ahead – the recovery plan for Europe and Next Generation EU. Furthermore, the Conference on the Future of Europe was finally launched on 9 May 2021. Nevertheless, a number of unresolved issues and new challenges remain. These include ensuring that EU values (Article 2 TEU) are upheld in the Member States, including through the application of the recently adopted Conditionality Regulation, addressing the threat of climate change, and equipping Europe for the digital age.