The 2019-2024 institutional cycle was marked by a number of crises. In response, the EU adopted a series of unprecedented measures that made it possible to prevent a health catastrophe and then survive the economic downturn, rising energy prices, and inflation. The actions taken by the EU, such as the launch of the European Health Union project, the creation of the Next Generation EU (NGEU) pandemic recovery fund, and the development of the European Peace Facility (EPF) after the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, were ad hoc and require expansion and continuation. The inclusion of Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia in the EU’s enlargement policy has led to yet another revival of the debate on reform of the process of admitting new members to the Community, and highlighted the necessity of internal changes (including the budget, sectoral policies, and institutions) to enable it to function efficiently in an enlarged group.

Both the EU’s strategic agenda for 2024-2029, adopted by the European Council at the end of June this year, and Ursula von der Leyen’s political guidelines indicate that the EU institutions have a similar sense of the challenges facing the EU. They plan to continue the activities started in the previous term, and consider it a priority to reconcile the need for economic dynamism and the green transformation, care for social cohesion, strengthening cooperation in defence issues, especially the arms industry, and preparing the process of Community enlargement.

The present report discusses the major tasks awaiting the new European Commission and offers some recommendations.