The road from the five-year objectives to the annual activity report synthesis
Upon entering into office, the Commission establishes its five-year strategic objectives  [186 KB]. The Commission works progressively towards the realisation of these mid-to-long-term objectives, which correspond to its political projects over the duration of its term of office.
Annual Policy Strategy
The annual policy strategy [<63 KB] gives an annual strategic framework at Commission
level and defines, early in the previous year, political
priorities and key initiatives for the following year.
At the same time, it allocates the corresponding financial and human
resources to these priority initiatives and establishes the overall resource
framework. The President of the Commission presents the annual policy
strategy to the Council and the European Parliament, launching a structured
dialogue on the various areas of policy with the other institutions.
Based on the annual policy strategy and the dialogue with the
Council and the European Parliament, and taking into account progress
in the budgetary process and the operational planning at the services
level, the College determines the Commission’s work
programme for the following year.
Annual Management Plans
In order to implement the Commission’s work programme, each Commission department (directorate-general or DG) sets up its own work programme called the annual management plan. The underlying concept of each DG establishing its annual management plan is called activity-based management. The purpose of the annual management plan is twofold: it translates the priority initiatives and the strategic objectives of the Commission into concrete operations and it provides an instrument enabling the management to plan, follow up and report on all the activities and resources of each directorate-general.
Annual Activity Reports
On the basis of its annual management plan, each DG monitors the
realisation of policy objectives and establishes the link with the
corresponding resources used during one year's activities. The annual
activity report is, in terms of results, the 'mirror' of the
annual management plan. The annual activity report is also each
Director-General’s management report to the Commission, concerning
the performance of his/her duties.
Synthesis Report
After the close of the year, the Commission presents the synthesis of management achievements [<500 KB] which constitutes the last stage of the Commission’s Strategic Planning and Programming (SPP) cycle. By adopting this Synthesis, the Commission assumes its political responsibility for management by its Directors-General, on the basis of the assurances and reservations expressed by them in their annual activity reports.
The graphic representation of the Commission’s strategic planning and programming cycle illustrates these short explanations.
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