The European Commission’s plan for 2026 signals a shift from the Green Deal to an industry-oriented agenda. However, it too carries the label “clean”. It is intended to support EU growth and competitiveness and respond to mounting pressure from industry and member states to ease the regulatory burden.
The European Commission will present its work programme for 2026 in Strasbourg next week, setting the direction of EU policy through the end of the decade. The draft document, seen by Euractiv, which reported on the plan, may still be amended before its formal approval. Nevertheless, it already outlines the main contours of next year: a shift away from the green transition towards an emphasis on economic growth, defence and less bureaucracy.
The Green Deal dominated von der Leyen’s first term, while the new era is now being described as the Clean Industrial Deal. It is intended to support EU growth and competitiveness and shift the focus from the green transition towards economic growth, defence and reduced bureaucracy.
Climate
A revision of the emissions trading system (EU ETS), which Czechia has also long sought, is expected in the third quarter of 2026. In June, it secured qualified-majority support for a proposal to revise the new emissions allowance system, which envisages five main changes to the system. Arguably the most important of these would be a cap on allowance prices at EUR 45 per tonne of carbon dioxide. Other changes include adjustments to the emissions allowance trading system, the launch of so-called advance allowance auctions as early as 2026, and the regular publication of key data and forecasts.
The Commission is also preparing to revise rules for sectors outside the ETS – such as agriculture, transport, building heating, waste management and small industrial installations outside the EU ETS – under the Effort Sharing Regulation. Its current target is to reduce total EU greenhouse gas emissions in these five sectors by 40 percent by 2030 compared with 2005. Individual targets are set for each member state, with Czechia’s target being a 26 percent reduction in emissions.
The aim is to align climate legislation with the EU’s new 2040 target while adapting it to an industry-oriented strategy.
The agenda also includes a climate adaptation plan, due to be published in the third quarter, which will focus on the impacts of climate damage already under way.
Energy
In energy, electrification will be the priority. In the third quarter, the European Commission plans to put forward a proposal to simplify electrification processes, to which the EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) responded as early as September. It proposed ways to improve and clarify the legal framework for European energy grids, while also highlighting persistent problems in scenario planning, infrastructure needs assessments and the selection of projects of common interest in a published document .
A revision of the energy security framework is also expected by March. It is set to unify the rules for gas and electricity in a single piece of legislation. The review will aim to strengthen the EU’s energy security, ensuring that the European energy system is resilient to physical and cyber threats, can cope with the impacts of climate change and adapts to new geopolitical conditions.
A so-called “energy omnibus” is also due to be published in the third quarter – a package of measures intended to simplify existing EU legislation. It will include a review of rules on energy governance, energy efficiency and CO₂ infrastructure.
The timetable also includes an update of rules for renewable energy sources – according to Euractiv, this could involve changing the terminology from “renewable” to “clean” sources, as demanded by France in a coalition that includes the Czech Republic. This shift would open the door to including nuclear energy or carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies among supported sources.
Environment
The planned environmental measures indicate that reform of the key REACH chemicals regulation will not be part of the 2026 programme, suggesting that it could be completed as early as this year. However, it does not yet feature in the Commission’s current work plan and, according to Euractiv, disagreements persist in Brussels between supporters of modernising the legislation and those advocating its simplification or weakening.
The only environmental proposal planned for 2026 therefore remains the Circular Economy Act, which is due to be presented in the third quarter. It is expected to encourage greater recycling by imposing charges on waste products such as critical raw materials.
The final version of the programme is due to be approved by the European Commission next week and presented to MEPs by President Ursula von der Leyen.
The article was published on the oenergetice.cz website.
