Public services refer to the state’s responsibility to provide fundamental, essential services and infrastructure for everyone. They are essential for social cohesion, social security, participation and quality of life. To mark the tenth International Day of Services of General Interest on 23 June 2026, AK EUROPA organised an evening event on 24 June 2026 dedicated to this topic.

On 10 December 2025, the European Commission presented the European Grids Package. The package includes proposals to improve the governance of cross-border energy infrastructure planning, speed up permitting procedures and ensure more effective mechanisms to share the costs and benefits of cross-border projects.

At the end of April 2026, the European Commission published its communication, “A Simpler, Clearer and Better Enforced EU Rulebook”, setting out a new plan for how EU legislation should be adopted, applied and enforced in the future. Instead of offering genuine Better Regulation proposals, the Communication prioritises corporate interests and weakens democratic participation mechanisms.

The European Parliament, Commission and Council jointly introduced the “One Europe, One Market” initiative at the end of April 2026 to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and safeguard prosperity, security, global influence and independence. By the end of 2027, the EU aims to deepen the Single Market, diversify trade relations and strengthen its industrial capacities. The roadmap sets out 43 measures, including controversial proposals such as the planned agreement on “EU Inc.” by 2026.

On 3 June 2026, the European Commission presented the European Technological Sovereignty Package. It comprises two legislative proposals, the Chips Act 2.0 and the Cloud and AI Development Act, as well as the EU Open Source Strategy and a Strategic Roadmap for Digitalisation and AI in Energy. The aim of the package is to increase the EU’s digital independence, expand its autonomy in key technologies and, at the same time, strengthen the Union’s competitiveness and resilience.

While the European Union and Member States are strengthening their defence capabilities, concerns are growing over the social implications of increased security spending. This should not come at the expense of social expenditure, emphasized Claes-Mikael Ståhl in an AK EUROPA interview. Instead, security spending should be tied to social conditionalities, trade unions should be involved in decision-making, and a broad understanding of security should be developed.

In light of the geopolitical and global economic upheavals, the EU is increasingly focusing on the issues of sovereignty and economic security. A revision of the rules on foreign direct investment screening was recently approved. In addition, the Industrial Accelerator Act proposed by the Commission sets out conditions for foreign investment in certain sectors. AK welcomes these developments but sees scope for further improvement.

After a prolonged delay, the European Commission unveiled its proposal for the ‘Industrial Accelerator Act’ (IAA) on 4 March 2026. The proposed legislation is designed specifically to boost demand for low-carbon technologies and for products manufactured in Europe. The aim is to ensure resilient supply chains in strategic sectors, strengthen European industry and safeguard jobs in the EU. Although an effective industrial policy strategy is long overdue, AK warns that the social dimension is being sidelined.

As geopolitical tensions rise, the European Union and Member States are taking steps towards strengthening their defence. Alongside other important questions, this also raises concerns about trade-offs between defence spending and other areas, such as social spending, at both EU and national levels. AK EUROPA spoke with Claes-Mikael Ståhl, Deputy General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), about current EU defence policy from a workers’ perspective.

With its proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework 2028–2034, the European Commission launched the important yet controversial debate on the EU budget in mid-2025. The focus is on increased investment in competitiveness, security and defence. However, the European Parliament considers the draft to be insufficiently ambitious and is calling for a larger budget. In particular, the planned consolidation of funding programmes and cuts in traditional policy areas have met with criticism.