5 points to take away from the 2017 State of the European Union
There are five main sets of proposed measures to take away from the 2017 State of the European Union speech. They focus on trade policy, industrial strategy, cybersecurity, data and democracy.
On 13 September, in his annual State of the Union Address, the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker presented a series of concrete legislative initiatives, as well as his personal vision of the future of European integration and democracy with a roadmap for a more united, stronger and more democratic Union.
1. A balanced and progressive trade policy
The Commission has two main objectives: strengthening the trade agenda, in order to create jobs and new opportunities for big and small businesses, and defending European strategic interests. The main proposals are:
· Opening trade negotiations with Australia and New Zealand
· An Advisory Group on EU trade agreements that will allow the Commission to engage with civil society and gather more easily different perspectives and insights from a wide group of stakeholders
· Starting negotiations towards the creation of a multilateral investment court
· A European framework to screen foreign direct investment, that will ensure that foreign investment remains a major source of growth in the EU while protecting the EU’s essential interests
You can read more about the trade package in all languages here. Find out more on the framework for screening of foreign direct investments here.
2. Industrial Policy Strategy
The main goal of this strategy is to keep or achieve the highest possible performances in terms of industrial innovation, digitisation and decarbonisation. The main proposals are:
· A new series of actions on the circular economy, including a strategy on plastics and measures to improve the production of renewable biological resources
· A set of initiatives to modernise intellectual property rights
· An initiative to improve the functioning of public procurement in the EU
You can read more here.
3. Cybersecurity: a stronger response to cyber-attacks
The goal is the same for all, from citizens and industries to democracies: equipping Europe with the right tools to deal with cyber-attacks. The Commission proposes, among other initiatives:
· An EU Cybersecurity Agency, that will be given a permanent mandate to assist Member States in effectively preventing and responding to cyber-attacks
· An EU-wide certification framework
· A European Cybersecurity Research and Competence Centre to ensure that products and services are cyber secure
Read more about all proposals on cybersecurity here.
4. A framework for the free flow of non-personal data in the EU
The EU data market could potentially amount to more than EUR 106 billion in 2020. With the purpose of unlocking the full potential of the EU data economy, the Commission is proposing a new set of rules to govern the free flow of non-personal data in the EU. For instance, removing data localisation restrictions is considered the most important factor for the data economy to double its value to 4% of GDP in 2020. You can read more here.
5. Democracy package
When it comes to strengthening European democracy, the power of changing the EU Treaties is in the hands of Member States. The European Commission can, however, improve transparency and citizen participation. For this reason, a public consultation for the reform of the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) gathered the opinion of thousands of citizens. The Commission wants to make it easier to organise an initiative, support one and increase the impact of successful initiatives. Moreover, the Commission proposes new rules on the funding of European political parties to better reflect the European electorate and democratic legitimacy of the Parliament.
You can read more on both proposals here.
A vision for the future
“The wind is back in Europe’s sails. But we will go nowhere unless we catch that wind. (…). Now is the time to build a more united, stronger and more democratic Europe for 2025.” — Jean-Claude Juncker
Only Member States have the final say on decisions for the future of European integration and democracy, but concrete Commission proposals are now on the table. They include a reform of the economic and monetary union with the creation of a European minister of economy and finance. You can read the roadmap for a more united, stronger and more democratic Union (PDF file) here.
