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The EU Commissioners’ annual progress reports are covering the half-year’s period in 2025 and are focusing on delivering feasible results. E.g. in the cohesion policy, the report covers three parts, on: simplification, implementation support, and enforcement; and report’s annex outlines concrete ways forward in the context of EU cohesion policy. Besides, important is the report of the Commissioner for the rule of law and consumer protection.
Background
During 2025, the mid-term review of cohesion policy (MTR) has been an excellent opportunity to accelerate efforts to modernise and simplify cohesion policy, while the work on advancing an urban agenda prompted compelling engagement with stakeholders in cities and regions.
Streamlining efforts will be carried forward to the 27 National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs). They are set to outline investments and reforms for the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework and bring genuine simplification to make financial support more tailored and easier to access.
There is also another interesting “annual progress report-2025: simplification, implementation and enforcement” concerning financial markets and Capital Market Union.
More in: https://finance.ec.europa.eu/publications/2025-annual-progress-report-simplification-implementation-and-enforcement_en
Actually, each EVP/Commissioner has prepared an Annual Progress Report on Simplification, Implementation and Enforcement in their respected spheres of activities, to share with the Council and European Parliament, covering progress made under their direct responsibilities.
General reference to: https://commission.europa.eu/law/law-making-process/better-regulation/simplification-and-implementation/2025-annual-progress-reports-simplification-implementation-and-enforcement_en?prefLang=hr
Effects for cohesion policy
The Executive Vice-President responsible for cohesion policy, regional development and cities, he intensified work in close partnership with national, regional and local authorities to ensure that Europe has a strengthened, modernised cohesion and growth policy. This particularly focused on the proposal for the mid-term review of cohesion policy, which aimed to reinforce strategic investments in common priorities, as well as at enhancing flexibility for the implementation of the policy. Present report aimed to ensure that cohesion policy remains a powerful tool in delivering EU goals, while promoting balanced development and resilience across all EU territories.
European Commission. Press release “EVP Fitto’s 2025 Annual Progress Report on Simplification, Implementation and Enforcement”, in:
https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/whats-new/newsroom/11-10-2025-evp-fitto-s-2025-annual-progress-report-on-simplification-implementation-and-enforcement_en
Main Cohesion report’s findings
The Commission continued to promote the use of Simplified Cost Options (SCOs) and Financing Not Linked to Costs (FNLC) and facilitate their uptake, also linked to the delivery of the MTR priorities. It e.g. has held an Implementation Dialogue and the cohesion services organised four reality checks, providing valuable insights from the practitioners, notably as regards the opportunities for further simplifying and streamlining the delivery of cohesion policy funding. I also contributed to the Implementation Dialogue on the Recovery and Resilience
Facility held by the Commissioner for the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).
The DG REGIO continued to provide ample support for implementation: to the member states’ authorities, partners and beneficiaries, facilitating the exchange of knowledge, good practices and the identification of common solutions to address bottlenecks.
In June 2025, the DG prepared for the 2026 deadline for the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF); and the Commission issued a Communication urging the member states to streamline their plans by keeping only achievable milestones and targets and to ensure that payment requests are thoroughly prepared and well-timed to facilitate the assessment process.
In July 2025, the Commission tabled the proposals for the 2028-2034 MFF; the EU Cohesion and regional policy remains at the center of the future European National and Regional Partnership Plans, with around € 450 billion available for economic, social and territorial cohesion, including fisheries and rural communities.
The cohesion Commissioner, in relation to the broader simplification agenda, has supported the adoption of the key simplification Omnibus packages included in the 2025 Commission Work Program. The Common Agricultural Policy simplification package, as part of the cohesion, regional development and cities portfolio, alleviates unnecessary administrative burden on farmers and administration and moves to a more flexible implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy.
Perspective actions will focus on:
a) strengthening competitiveness, notably through dialogue with business representatives to identify good practices and simplification opportunities; and
b) advancing tailored frameworks and support to regions and territories facing specific challenges; iii) further simplifying data exchanges among the member states and European Commission, to monitor cohesion policy implementation.
Reference to: “2025 Annual Progress Report”. September 2025; with 4 practical and concrete examples of simplification and implementation results. In: https://commission.europa.eu/publications/2025-annual-progress-report-simplification-implementation-and-enforcement-executive-vice-president-3_en
EU justice, the rule of law and consumer protection
The EU Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, and the Rule of Law. Michael McGrath is responsible for overseeing the protection of democracy, fundamental rights and the rule of law in the member states; this portfolio was assigned to him as part of the Commission’s priorities shared with the issues of “consumer protection”.
The Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers (DG JUST) promotes social justice by upholding the rule of law and protecting individual rights and freedoms. It develops and implements policies on Justice, Fundamental Rights and Consumers, in line with the Commission’s priorities to deliver a digital future and a stronger European democracy and a European Green Deal.
The Commission’s task is to foster just European society, protected by the rule of law with a promoted consumer protection, as well as creating more harmonious and equitable environment for all EU citizens, businesses and communities. To contribute to the EU-wide simplification packages, the Commission’s first proposal was published in February 2025 to amend the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive with the first omnibus package on corporate
sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements. The draft’s aim was is to reduce the regulatory burden stemming from the Directive while preserving the underlying policy objective of promoting the transition towards a sustainable economic model. The proposed changes simplify and streamline the due diligence duties, limit the requirements for stakeholder engagement, reduce the number and frequency of resource-intensive assessments and strengthen the SMEs and small mid-caps’ security that may be indirectly impacted by the due diligence requirements of large companies in the scope of the Directive. At the same time, the application of the rules to the first set of companies has been postponed by one year and it is proposed to issue the main Commission guidelines ahead of schedule, which together will give companies more time to prepare for implementation. It is estimated that the proposed changes will reduce costs by approximately € 320 million per year (in addition to a one-off saving of € 60 million).
As part of the fourth omnibus package on small mid-caps requirements, presented on 21 May 2025, a targeted amendment on the GDPR record-keeping obligation was proposed. The amendment would extend the scope of the derogation from the obligation so that, in addition to SMEs and organisations with less than 250 employees, it would cover also small mid-caps (SMCs) and organisations with less than 750 employees. It would also raise the threshold and simplify the rules for maintaining records of processing so that it would be mandatory
for SMEs, SMCs and organisations with less than 750 employees to maintain records only for those processing activities that are likely to result in a ‘high risk’ to data subjects’ rights and freedoms.
The new Upgrading Digital Company Law Directive (EU) 2025/25, to be transposed by the member states by 31 July 2027, will reduce administrative burden for companies by an estimated more than EUR 400 million per year. It will remove formalities, such as apostille and simplify cross-border procedures through digital solutions, including applying the once-only principle so that companies do not resubmit information when they set up subsidiaries or branches in other member states. It will also introduce the multilingual digital EU Company Certificate (the EU-wide “corporate identity” card).
More in the McGrath’s annual report at: https://commission.europa.eu/publications/2025-annual-progress-report-simplification-implementation-and-enforcement-commissioner-michael_en; and in: https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/1a88c764-4f2a-46b8-b813-6e6d7e189e2b_en?filename=MCGRATH_SPI_2025_56_EN.pdf