2026 Work Programme: European Commission sets the stage for a sustainable and competitive Europe 

Accountancy Europe welcomes the European Commission’s Work Programme 2026, which outlines a set of legislative and non-legislative initiatives for the year ahead. Many of these will help making Europe’s economy more competitive, sustainable and responding to citizens’ priorities.

Accountancy Europe’s CEO Eelco van der Enden commented: “from legislative de-burdening initiatives to reinforcing the Single Market and maintaining a clear focus on fostering a competitive and sustainable economy, there is a lot to welcome here. I see many areas where Europe’s accountancy profession can contribute with ideas, expertise and practical insights”.

Accountancy Europe will be following and contributing to several initiatives, such as:

• The 28th regime, which is ambitious and much needed in principle but its final form will depend on co-legislators’ agreement. We responded to the public consultation earlier this year (read our response)
• The tax omnibus and broader tax simplification agenda, where we recently issued the accountancy profession’s recommendations
• The Circular Economy Act, where we strongly encourage the Commission to assess and address VAT related obstacles to fostering a pan-European circular economy (read our response)
• The Single Market initiatives, where further integration and cross-border barriers removal are essential to foster Europe’s competitiveness and economies of scale
• The anti-corruption and -fraud initiatives, along with the revision of the Whistleblower Protection Directive, all of which are crucial to a resilient EU economy and fighting illicit practices
• Across all initiatives, measures that support the growth and prosperity of Europe’s SMEs

Eelco added: “this is a pivotal moment for Europe. In these geopolitically volatile times, it is of utmost importance that we reinforce our global competitiveness and unity by unlocking the Single Market’s full potential. We must also move forward together on the much needed digital and sustainability twin transition.”

Accountancy Europe represents 49 national institutes of accountants, auditors and advisors from 35 European countries. The individual members of these institutes work in different capacities, whether in larger or smaller accountancy practices, in-house in businesses or in the public sector. We will bring this collective and diverse experiences and perspectives to support the Commission’s work throughout 2026.