How EU strategy is made
The EU’s overall political strategy is developed jointly by the:
- European Council – national leaders from the 28 EU countries
- European Council President
- President of the Commission
The Commission proposes policies and laws to implement that strategy.
How priorities are setDecision-makingStrategy documents
Better regulation: why and how
Through its better regulation agenda, the Commission is designing and evaluating EU policies and laws so that they achieve their objectives in the most efficient and effective way possible.
How the EU is making better laws12-month action plans
At the end of every calendar year, the plan of action for the next 12 months is set out in the Commission work programme. It describes how the political priorities will be turned into concrete actions.
Work programmeState of the Union speech 2016 - by Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The Commission is fully committed to the delivery of the 2030 Agenda.
Sustainable Development GoalsEU solidarity
The European Solidarity Corps gives 18-30 year olds the opportunity to do volunteer or paid work helping the community and wider society, while gaining invaluable skills and experience.
More on EU solidarityDigital Single Market
The European Commission places digital at the core of its strategy, by setting the digital single market as one of its 10 priorities. This strategy aims to open up digital opportunities for people and business and enhance Europe's position as a world leader in the digital economy.
More on digital single marketStrategy by topic
Strategy to 2019
Every 5 years, at the beginning of a new Commission term, the President of the Commission sets out the priority areas to be focused on during that term. These areas are derived from the Council's strategic agenda and from discussions with the political groups of the European Parliament.
Priorities guiding the work of the EU to 2019:
Strategic agenda for the Union in times of change [109 KB]
(European Council, 2014)
Political guidelines for the Commission to 2019:
New start for Europe: jobs, growth, fairness and democratic change [1.8 MB]
(European Commission, 2014)
Investment plan
The Commission put in place an investment plan, which will unlock at least €315 billion in public and private investments in 2015-2017. It also focuses on cutting regulation and making smarter use of existing financial resources.
The European Semester
The EU set up the European Semester in 2010 to allow the coordination of economic policies of EU member countries to better face global economic challenges.