What are the first 100 days accomplishments of the EC?
The first 100 days of the European Commission's new mandate were completed in March. What were the results?
The first 100 days of the new mandate of the European Commission have been a very active period in which Ursula von der Leyen and her College of Commissioners have begun to deliver on the priorities they have set for promoting prosperity, security and democracy in the EU. A significant number of the initiatives and strategies published are also relevant for the areas of research and innovation (R&I) and education. Below is an overview of the most important ones.
A more competitive and innovative Europe
The biggest horizontal initiative of the new Commission is the EU Competitiveness Compass, which has subsequently initiated a number of other plans, initiatives and documents that underline the strategic direction of the current European Commission. The Compass is the Commission's concrete plan to kick-start the European economy. It identifies innovation, decarbonisation and security as the most important drivers, as well as reducing Europe's dependence on imports of critical and raw materials from abroad. All of these areas are interlinked and their promotion, according to the Compass, should lead to increased European competitiveness on a global scale.
Closing the innovation gap between the EU on the one hand and the US and China on the other, as well as facilitating access to capital for new technologies, including a new dedicated Start-up and Scale-up Strategy (a public consultation on its preparation was held within the first 100 days), is one of the key pillars of the Compass. The Strategy is expected to be published in summer 2025 and should support European businesses to enter and grow in the Single Market, while addressing the difficulties they face in accessing capital, services, infrastructure and finding skilled labour. Another document already published - the Savings and Investment Union - is designed to boost economic growth and business competitiveness.
The Compass does not neglect artificial intelligence either. Among other things, it mentions the AI Factories, which the European Commission officially introduced at the end of last year. These AI Factories will create a robust and interconnected network of AI centres that offer interested parties comprehensive support, including access to high-performance computing (HPC) resources. The centres are mainly for AI start-ups, other small and medium-sized enterprises that use AI, and researchers. The original seven AI factories supported in December 2024 were expanded by the Commission in February this year with six more. There is still an opportunity to participate in calls for more factories (or support centres), which are expected to become the backbone of Europe's AI strategy by 2026, boosting innovation and European leadership in AI. In the context of AI, the Commission has also launched the InvestAI initiative to mobilise €200 billion for investment in this area (including from Horizon Europe, Digital Europe and InvestEU).
Decarbonisation, security and simplification
To promote a competitive Europe, we need to focus on other areas as well. Decarbonisation remains a key EU objective and the Clean Industrial Deal and linking decarbonisation to the private sector, among others, should help with a 90% reduction in emissions by 2040. The Clean Industrial Deal was presented by the Commission in February and focuses mainly on energy-intensive industries, clean technologies and circularity. In the area of education and skills, it mentions the need to ensure a sufficient supply of skilled workers. The Deal was followed up in March by frameworks for specific actions in certain sectors, including the Industrial Action Plan for the European automotive sector and the Action Plan on Steel and Metals, among others.
In the context of security, the White Paper on European Defence and the ReArm Europe/Readiness 2030 plan were presented in March. These proposals aim not only to respond to the short-term urgency of supporting Ukraine, but also to address the long-term need to strengthen Europe's security and defence. The solutions are, among other things, to invest more and more effectively in defence, to promote cooperation between individual EU Member States and between the EU and at the wider global level, to increase the EU's preparedness for risk scenarios and to exploit the latest technologies such as artificial intelligence or quantum technologies.
One of the key objectives of the current Commission is also simplification, deregulation and reduction of administrative burdens. Valdis Dombrovskis, Commissioner for Economy, Productivity, Implementation and Simplification, has been appointed to the Commission's College. Subsequently, the Commission proposed the first of the Omnibus packages. The packages are intended to be one of the tools the Commission will use to support unprecedented simplification in all areas of the EU's functioning by the end of its mandate in 2029. There should be an overall reduction of at least 25% in administrative burden and up to 35% specifically for SMEs. The proposed changes should increase the EU's investment capacity - The Commission expects to save €6.3 billion a year and mobilise €350 million in investments to support its priorities. In addition, the rules of some financial instruments should be simplified and administrative requirements reduced to mobilise private investment.
Research, skills, education and youth support
In the context of the European Research Area (ERA), the Commission has published a Proposal for a Council Recommendation on the ERA policy agenda for the period 2025-2027. The document defines a general policy framework and priorities and then two types of actions across four priority areas. These priority areas include deepening a functioning internal market for knowledge, addressing the challenges of the green and digital transitions, expanding access to R&I excellence, and supporting R&I funding and reforms. Proposed activities include both horizontal structural policies focusing on open science, research infrastructures, research evaluation, research careers and other topics. And then specific ERA actions focusing on, for example, the use of artificial intelligence in R&I, strengthening research security, boosting investment, research governance or advancing biomedical research. The Proposal now needs to be approved by the EU Council, which is expected to take place in May.
The European Education Area (EEA) will be supported by the Union of Skills (UoS), which for the first time links education, skills and labour market policies together. The main objectives of the UoS are to support citizens in acquiring skills that are relevant in the current (and future) labour market, to boost the competitiveness of businesses through a better-skilled workforce and to ensure that citizens' skills are recognised and transferable across the EU, regardless of where they were acquired. To this end, the UoS proposes a relatively large number of initiatives (both new and continuing) across all levels of education, with a major focus on vocational education and training, higher education and lifelong learning. Together with the UoS, the Commission has also published the Basic Skills Action Plan and the STEM Education Strategic Plan.
The first steps of the new Commission have also led to a stronger voice for young people in decision-making processes. President Ursula von der Leyen has called on all Commissioners to organise EU Youth Dialogues, meetings where young people will be given the opportunity to discuss directly with EU officials about the upcoming initiatives, by 10 March. The aim is not only to listen to the needs of the younger generation, but also to actively involve them in shaping the future of the EU. These has included two debates with Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu (on digital and media literacy in January and on quality jobs and skills in March), and a debate with Commissioner Glenn Micallef on young people's access to cultural heritage and the role of litigation as a tool for social cohesion and solidarity. With Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva, young people discussed the environment, sustainability, technology and inclusion in the context of the EU Mission for Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities, and with Vice-President Henna Virkkunen the role of social media in the democratic process. Reports and sometimes also recordings are available for all 28 debates. This initiative will continue throughout the Commission's term and will build, among other initiatives, on the success of the European Year of Youth in 2022.
Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034
Last but not least, one of the key tasks of the new European Commission is to propose the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028-2034, with an emphasis on simplifying access to funding, modernising the budget and funding strategic priorities more efficiently. In February, a Communication on "The Road to the next MFF" was published, charting the path towards its creation. The MFF sets maximum amounts for each category of expenditure, corresponding to the Union's main policies, which are then allocated to the main areas of EU action.
In this context, the European Commission has therefore launched a public consultation inviting all EU stakeholders and citizens to give their views on the future budget and the policies it should support, including in the areas of cross-border education and training and youth and in the area of supporting competitiveness, which includes the R&I agenda. The consultation is open until 6 May, after which the Commission is expected to publish its official proposal for the new MFF no later than July.