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The Commission’s top priorities also reflect the main priorities for the European Parliament and those in the Council’s Strategic Agenda.
Eurofound puts the spotlight on some of the pressing challenges facing the EU over the next five years.
Challenges for the EU over the next five years
Eurofound's research offers valuable insights into some of the more pressing social policy challenges facing the EU institutions. Read our series of blog posts which put the spotlight on these challenges and also visit our digital story showcasing our latest research on Living and working in Europe.
The Commission’s 2024 work programme outlines the steps in its agenda towards delivering on the ambitions set at the outset of its mandate and further steer the EU towards a sustainable recovery, driven also by the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe. The 2024 programme lists important legislative proposals across all top priorities. The new Commission took office on 1 December 2024, setting out priorities for 2024–2029 and building on the work of the previous five years.
Eurofound’s work directly feeds into a number of these key areas and aims to inform effective policies that can lead to recovery and resilience in creating a strong social Europe. This work falls under six main activities in our programming document for 2021–2024.
The European Year of Skills 2023–2024 concluded on 8 May 2024. The year aimed to raise awareness around skills and the need to improve and develop skills to help companies address skills shortages, while also helping people to get the right skills for good quality jobs by promoting reskilling and upskilling. To support the green and digital transitions, Eurofound research informing the policy debate in this area focuses on skills strategies and digitalisation at workplace level, skills mismatches and labour market slack, as well as employment policies to tackle labour shortages. The European Company Survey and the European Working Conditions Telephone Survey both provide rich data for work on this topic. In the area of working conditions, research related to job quality and the need to improve key elements which will offset some of the issues related to labour shortages is an important contribution to the debate on skills. The research carried out on the impact of COVID-19 on working conditions can also feed into discussions on training and skills development options.
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Explore where Eurofound’s research can provide you with the most current findings relevant to the EU policy priorities 2021–2024.
This priority focuses on ensuring social fairness and prosperity and includes the following EU initiatives:
Other relevant topics: European Pillar of Social Rights, COVID-19
This priority focuses on empowering people with a new generation of technologies and includes the following initiatives:
This priority focuses on protecting our citizens and our values and includes the following initiatives:
This priority focuses on striving to be the first climate-neutral continent and includes the following initiatives:
This priority focuses on reinforcing our responsible global leadership and includes the following initiatives:
This priority focuses on nurturing, protecting and strengthening our democracy and includes the following initiatives:
