2025 Commission work programme puts simplification in the spotlight
17 February 2025 | 3 minutes read
On 12 February 2025, the European Commission published its 2025 work programme(opens in a new tab), prioritising swift and effective measures that support citizens and strengthen the social market economy.
As we transition into the next phase of the post-pandemic recovery programme, the focus is now shifting from large-scale investment to consolidating efforts and ensuring long-term impact. Whereas, the initial phase required substantial financial support to reinforce the EU’s economic fabric, and establish or modernise legal frameworks across multiple sectors, with the Next Generation EU (NGEU) funding alone accounting for approximately 5.1% of the EU's GDP, this phase will be about simplification and impact.
In 2025, the priority is to assess the effectiveness of EU-wide initiatives and align them with a pro-competitiveness, pro-growth and pro-Single Market agenda that enhances EU competitiveness. Accordingly, public intervention at EU level must be driven by its value to citizens and businesses across the Union. In this context of consolidation, simplification, and reprioritisation, the “Once-Only principle”(opens in a new tab) emerges as a notable and innovative way to reduce red tape, eliminate the burden of cross-border administrative procedures and position the EU with a distinct competitive advantage in the global stage.
Once-Only makes the Single Market simpler
When active within the EU Single Market, EU citizens and businesses frequently need to complete a mix of online, offline, automated, and manual steps when conducting cross-border procedures. Individuals may need to take time off or way from work to travel to public authorities, pick up a physical copy of a document, and scan it before sending it to another authority. In practice, businesses and citizens often struggle to comply with data requests from Member States, as official documents are named differently across countries. Even when documents have the same name, their content may vary, adding to the complexity. As a result, even simple tasks like notifying a business activity in another Member State become lengthy and costly processes.
In the near future, when completing an online procedure using ‘Once-Only’, citizens will be able to give their explicit request to retrieve the necessary data from a competent authority in another Member State. The explicit request triggers the retrieval of data from competent authorities across many different sectors through the Once-Only Technical System (education, vehicles, population registers, and more). This in turn helps move Europe from a document-centric to a data-centric economy. Whether a citizen applies to study in another Member State, or a business expands its operations abroad, the Once-Only Technical System will substantially reduce the associated administrative burden of cross-border activity and help save both time and money.
Mandated through the Single Digital Gateway Regulation (EU)2018/1724(opens in a new tab), the Once-Only Technical System contributes significantly to the twin green and digital transitions, reducing energy consumption through the digitalisation process and reducing administrative burdens within the Union.
Study notes concrete savings for European businesses
In 2023, an independent study(opens in a new tab) clearly demonstrated how the Once-Only will make the life of businesses and citizens easier and reduce the cost of mobility (i.e., time and money spent in administrative procedures) and reduce administrative burden. SMEs report to save up to 53% of costs when extending their business to another EU Member State, more than €5.000 on average. In addition, self-employed anticipate average savings of 59%, or around €1.500. Both SMEs and self-employed individuals anticipate time saving of at least five weeks by completing the procedure via the Once-Only Technical System.
Once-Only is a clear demonstration of the commitment of both EU Member States and the European Commission to a seamless, more efficient Single Market.
The Commission’s 2025 work programme is framed by the Political Guidelines and the mission letters sent by the President to each College Member. In her mission letter(opens in a new tab) to executive vice-President Stéphane Séjourné of 17 September 2024, President von der Leyen specifically noted that the Single Digital Gateway, and so the Once-Only Technical System, is a major political priority for this Commission. Once-Only looks set to help Europe reach the goal of cutting admin burden within the Single Market for greater competitiveness.
In January 2025, the European Commission adopted a Competitiveness Compass for the EU(opens in a new tab), with simplification identified as one if its major aspects.
As Commissioner Dombrovskis emphasised: “European businesses should spend less time and resources complying with red tape, so that they can instead focus on what really matters: developing innovative ideas, putting them into motion in Europe and creating high-quality jobs. Every hour saved on paperwork can be a win for all Europeans.”
Furthermore, as highlighted in the Letta report(opens in a new tab), former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta noted that “central to this effort [of simplification] is the implementation of the Single Digital Gateway (SDG), an initiative designed to serve as a comprehensive online access point for key information, administrative procedures, and assistance services and the newly adopted digital EU wallet. The SDG's ambition extends to automating the exchange of authentic data between authorities through its 'Only Once Technical System' (OOTS), thereby eliminating redundant submissions of the same information by businesses and individuals across Member States”.
Visit the Once-Only hub(opens in a new tab) to learn more.