The von der Leyen Commission – one year on

Tomorrow, the von der Leyen Commission marks one year since it took office on 1 December 2019. With the mandate received from the European Council and the European Parliament, we have put forward a set of ambitious goals for Europe's future: climate neutrality by 2050; making the 2020s Europe's Digital Decade; and making Europe stronger in the world with a more geopolitical approach. In the first three months, we presented the European Green Deal and its first building blocks, an industrial strategy to define a new way forward for industry in Europe and we also focused on strengthening Europe's competitiveness on the global stage. The coronavirus pandemic came and called for a truly European response. The Commission worked to organise a concerted and coordinated European response to the emergency and then acted swiftly and kicked off the recovery of our economy with NextGenerationEU as a centrepiece of the most powerful long-term EU budget. We also proposed a fresh start on migration, building confidence and striking a new balance between responsibility and solidarity. The Commission adapted to the unforeseen and dramatic circumstances, and worked to get Europe out of the crisis as fast as possible. The twin green and digital transitions are now even more firmly at the core of our programme, with new resources to accelerate the transformation. In the international arena, Europe has led the Global Response against coronavirus. 94 proposals have been agreed by and with the other EU institutions since 1 December 2019. We are not just repairing the damage to our economy; we are reshaping it for the next generation. You can read more of the Commission's achievements here and see the timeline of our actions. (For more information: Eric Mamer – Tel.: +32 229 4073; Dana Spinant – Tel.: +32 229 90150)