Von der Leyen calls Commission's Work Programme 2026 "Europe's independence moment"

"The entire Commission Work Programme for the year ahead will be focused on Europe's independence moment", Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said on 21/10/2025 while presenting the 2026 Work Programme to MEPs in Strasbourg.

In her speech, the President emphasised the need to act swiftly: "Companies across Europe demand that we make business easier for them. Harmonisation cannot wait. We need to complete the Single Market. This is why we are setting clear political deadlines to unleash the potential of the Single Market by 2028". Among the plans in the programme are the 28^th Regime for Innovative Companies and the European Innovation Act, which will be presented in Q1 of 2026. These initiatives will serve to "make doing business and accessing finance in Europe easier for all companies, not least innovative companies, start-ups and SMEs".

The work programme also provides for "enabling a 'fifth freedom' for knowledge and innovation through the European Research Area", expected in Q3 2026. In the context of research, the Commission also plans to propose the…