By Thea Pieridou
Press Officer of the European Parliament Office in Cyprus
The EU continues to address the impact of the pandemic, while implementing key priorities such as in the fields of climate change and digital transformation.
Recovery plan and long-term budget
Late last year, the European Parliament reached a compromise with the Council on the EU's long-term budget (2021-2027) and secured agreement on the 2021 budget to support the recovery. However, disagreements between member states over the proposed EU safeguard mechanism have delayed the approval process. MEPs will need to finalize the rules for running all the programs that are part of the 2021-2027 budget and the recovery plan, which will support individuals and businesses across the EU.
Sustainable / green recovery
At the heart of the EU COVID-19 recovery plans are many sustainability-related initiatives under the European Green Deal. Agriculture, circular economy, biodiversity, forests, energy, greenhouse gas emissions and the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) are some of the issues that are expected to be on the MEPs' agenda.
Climate
Achieving climate neutrality by 2050 in a legally binding fashion remains one of the Parliament’s top priorities, as the EU concludes negotiations on climate law. The Parliament is calling for a target of reducing carbon emissions by 60% by 2030.
Digital Services
A main goal for 2021 is the regulation of online platforms. The EU is drafting a law on digital services to set guidelines for the changing internet landscape and to ensure a better, safer digital environment for users and companies. The European Parliament presented its priorities in October 2020, in view of the Commission proposal.
Artificial Intelligence
In early 2021, the Commission will propose new legislation on artificial intelligence aimed at regulating the technological, ethical, legal and socio-economic aspects of Artificial Intelligence and consolidating Europe's leadership in this area. The European Parliament wants to ensure that legislation is human-centered and based on European values, while helping to strengthen the economy.
Immigration
The European Parliament will consider legislation seeking to establish a common EU asylum and immigration policy. The new measures proposed by the Commission aim to change and improve current asylum procedures, ensuring greater solidarity and a fair distribution of responsibilities between states, and protecting the EU 's external borders.
Conference on the future of Europe
The Conference on the Future of Europe is a new initiative that examines what changes the EU needs to initiate to better meet the challenges of the future, with the direct involvement of its citizens. The COVID-19 crisis has delayed the launch of the initiative; however, the two-year ongoing consultation process is expected to begin in 2021.
Agriculture
The European Parliament, the Commission and the Council must conclude negotiations on the reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the period 2022-2027, including its alignment with the Green Deal and environmental objectives. MEPs will also consider the new "From Farm to Fork" policy, which focuses more on sustainable food.
EU4Health
The new year will also feature the EU4Health program, which will help EU countries work together and better coordinate in times of crisis. Its main priorities are to protect people from serious cross-border health threats, to improve the availability of medicines and to strengthen health systems. The program is to enter into force in 2021.
Civil protection mechanism
The European Parliament wants to renew the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to improve the Union's crisis management and increase its preparedness for large-scale emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters. MEPs want to enable the EU to acquire autonomous emergency response capabilities and implement a more ambitious prevention policy. The European Parliament will negotiate with the Council on the upgraded system to be launched in 2021.
Space program
The year 2021 we will see the adoption of the EU space program for the period 2021-2027, including the extension of the scope of the current European GNSS Agency, which will be renamed the European Union Space Agency.
Brexit
January 1, 2021 marked the official end of the transition period between the United Kingdom and the EU, marking the beginning of a complex relationship between them. The European Parliament will be involved in building new links with the United Kingdom, including ad hoc agreements in key areas such as aviation.
