This Work Programme contains 43 new policy initiatives across all six of the headline ambitions of President von der Leyen's Political Guidelines, building on her 2022 State of the Union speech and letter of intent: 

1. A European Green Deal: the Commission will propose a comprehensive reform of the EU's electricity market to create a new European Hydrogen Bank, and action to reduce waste and the environmental impact of waste, with a focus on food and textile waste.
2. A Europe fit for the digital age: the Commission will propose EU measures to ensure adequate and diversified access to critical raw materials needed for Europe's digital and economic resilience. It will also propose a common European mobility data space to boost the digitalisation of the mobility sector.
3. An economy that works for people: the Commission will work on the proposal for a single set of tax rules for doing business in Europe and update the framework for quality traineeships to address issues, such as fair remuneration and access to social protection, to boost Europe's social resilience.
4. A stronger Europe: democratic principles, peace, and stability will be the grounds of the EU space strategy for security and defence.
5. Promoting our European way of life: updating the current EU learning mobility framework and attracting highly qualified professionals to sectors where Europe experiences workforce shortages through proposals on recognising the qualifications of non-EU nationals, as well as the creation of a Cybersecurity Skills Academy, will be targeted for 2023, the European Year of Skills. The Commission will also propose laws on digitalising EU travel documents and facilitating travel and a comprehensive approach to mental health.
6. A new push for European democracy: the Commission will put forward a defence of democracy package and propose a European disability card that will ensure the mutual recognition of disability status across all Member States. Gaps in the legal protection against discrimination on the grounds of racial or ethnic origin will be addressed as well. 

Many of the key initiatives also follow up on the outcomes of the Conference on the Future of Europe. In this context, the Employers' organisations have been calling, for the past two years, for the introduction of a competitiveness check in all future EU policies and legislative proposals. 

The adoption of this instrument was finally announced by the Commission President on 19 October in the European Parliament and the Tripartite Social Summit and welcomed by EU employers’ associations. 

According to a BusinessEurope press release, this measure can enhance the EU’s competitiveness, and EESC Employers' Group, BusinessEurope, SMEunited, and SGI Europe look forward to engaging with the European Commission in the development and implementation of the proposed Competitiveness check.

Markus Beyrer, Director General at BusinessEurope, said, "we are convinced that to maintain and enhance the competitiveness of EU big and small enterprises, we must always assess the impact of all EU initiatives on companies and their business environment".

Michael Freytag, European Public Affairs Manager at the World Employment Confederation, said: “The World Employment Confederation welcomes the European Commission work programme, particularly about its employability and skills initiatives”.