Brussels Writes a 2027 Agenda of Subtraction: 23 Initiatives, 10 of Them Deregulation

The European Commission adopted its 2027 work programme on 4 November, setting out 23 new legislative and non-legislative initiatives for the year ahead under the title "European Union, Standing up for one another". It was published alongside the 2026 annual overview report on simplification, implementation and enforcement, and the pairing is the point: the Commission is presenting a year of consolidation rather than a year of new law.

Of the 23 initiatives, ten are simplification packages. Since the start of the mandate the Commission has proposed 12 omnibus packages and other simplification measures, which it says could generate more than €22 billion in annual savings, close to 60 per cent of its self-imposed target.

The four blocks that matter

Competitiveness and the Single Market. The One Europe, One Market roadmap continues, aimed at removing internal barriers and cutting administrative load. A bank competitiveness and simplification package will follow, alongside proposals to complete the Savings and Investments Union including a reform of the venture capital framework. The Commission also promises a European Corporation on Critical Raw Materials, a vehicle that would sit above the existing project pipeline and give Brussels an equity or coordination instrument in supply security.

Energy. Three files stand out. A proposal to accelerate permitting for energy infrastructure, so that construction authorisations arrive faster. A revision of the EU Emissions Trading System together with the Electricity Market Regulation, with the stated aim of encouraging heavy carbon-intensive industry to decarbonise and of ensuring electricity is not taxed more heavily than gas. And a European Grids package to modernise and expand electricity networks across the Union. Alongside these sits a post-2030 energy framework and a simplification package intended to reach 50 per cent electrification of the EU economy by 2030.

Defence and security. A new European Instrument for Strategic Enablers is intended to boost defence capabilities at scale, and a European Security Emergency Protocol would allow faster EU responses to emerging threats. The EU-Ukraine Defence industrial pact continues to be implemented. On the external border, the Commission will propose a European emergency response framework and modernise the Schengen visa framework, and will assess the impact of its data retention rules.

Climate and adaptation. A European Water Initiative, a European Heatwave Plan, and a Climate Insurance Alliance to close the climate insurance gap. The nature protection Directives will be reviewed to assess whether the legal framework still functions. CO2 standards for heavy-duty vehicles will also be reviewed.

What is being taken away

The arithmetic of withdrawal is the story the headlines missed. In total the Commission proposes to withdraw 18 initiatives and repeal 14 pieces of legislation. Among the casualties is the Green Claims Directive, the instrument designed to stop companies from making unsubstantiated environmental marketing claims.

That repeal is a substantive choice, not housekeeping. The directive was the EU's main answer to greenwashing in consumer-facing advertising, and dropping it removes an obligation that industry had spent three years preparing for while removing the corresponding protection for consumers who rely on environmental labels.

There is also a new Pact against gold-plating, under which the Commission will work with member states to prevent national requirements from reintroducing administrative burdens already removed at EU level. In practice this targets the practice by which capitals add national conditions on top of directives, which industry has long identified as the real source of compliance cost.

Enforcement as the other half of the strategy

The accompanying report is more revealing than the work programme itself. The Commission launched 874 infringement procedures in the reporting period, the highest number in ten years, referred 61 cases to the Court of Justice and requested financial sanctions in 25. It closed 499 procedures after member states complied.

College members held implementation dialogues with over 1,500 stakeholders, including industry bodies, civil society, social partners and public authorities. The message is that Brussels intends to police the acquis it already has rather than add to it, and that the Single Market will be the priority area for that policing.

President Ursula von der Leyen framed the programme as equipping Europe for the challenges to come, citing a deepened Single Market, expanded global partnerships and streamlined policy, and describing the objective as a strong and independent Europe that delivers for citizens and businesses.

What else is on the 2027 list

The social and institutional agenda is substantial. A housing simplification package builds on the Affordable Housing Plan, European university alliances 2.0 aims at higher education quality, and a European Care Deal addresses affordable care. A digital transformation package and an AI blueprint covering health, transport, agri-food, manufacturing, defence and space fill out the technology side.

On democracy, seventy years after the Treaty of Rome the Commission will convene a Congress of Europe, step up work under the European Democracy Shield, and issue a Recommendation on safety in politics. It will also follow up the European Citizens' Initiative on conversion practices with a Recommendation calling on member states to ban them.

Externally, the programme commits to deepening cooperation with Canada and cementing ties with Indonesia, India, Australia, the Philippines and Thailand, and to building new tools against economic risks abroad through a diversification instrument and a deterrence pact. On the budget, the Commission renewed its call for a political agreement on the 2028 to 2034 Multiannual Financial Framework by the end of the year, so implementation can begin on 1 January 2028, and will review the anti-fraud architecture including legislation covering OLAF and the European Public Prosecutor's Office.

How to read it

A work programme is a declaration of intent, not a legislative outcome. Every one of these initiatives still needs a College proposal, then Parliament and Council. What the document does establish is the order of the queue and the political logic behind it: competitiveness first, security second, climate framed as risk management and energy independence rather than environmental obligation.

The test will come in the files where those priorities collide. Revising the ETS while simultaneously promising relief to energy-intensive industry sets up exactly the fight that consumed the last parliamentary term. Repealing the Green Claims Directive while promising a Climate Insurance Alliance suggests a Commission that wants to regulate capital and infrastructure rather than corporate communication. And the 2028 to 2034 budget will determine whether any of the investment language is backed by money.