The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Parliament’s priorities for the Commission Work Programme 2014.

The resolution was tabled by ALDE, S&D, and EPP groups.

The Commission should bring forward measures to preserve and strengthen the European social market economy models, with a view to repairing the damage done by the long recession and restoring full employment and sustainable growth.

Parliament calls for a deeper democratic process in the field of economic governance, with closer involvement of Parliament, and considers, in this connection, that the Commission should fulfil its Treaty role, which is incompatible with delegating a decision-making role in EU economic governance to unaccountable bodies. Parliament is concerned, in particular, to improve the accountability of the Commission when it acts in its capacity as a member of the Troika. It welcomes the commitment of the European Council of 27-28 June 2013 to complete the building of a genuine Economic and Monetary Union, involving all the elements of the Banking Union, more effective coordination of economic policies, the development of financial solidarity mechanisms and the strengthening of the social dimension. However, Members regret the failure to make more rapid progress. They call on the Commission to come forward with a communication on the social dimension of the EMU.

Members call for action to complete the Commission's current work programme before the end of its mandate, in particular with respect to the single market in services, the digital agenda, the internal market in energy, and the extension of deep, free and fair trade agreements. They propose to engage in intensive negotiation with the Council and Commission before the end of Parliament’s mandate to complete as many dossiers as possible.

They stress the importance of reforming the system of EU own resources, and call on the Commission to ensure that the High-Level Group on own resources is convened and starts working as soon as possible, in order to ensure that a first set of findings is available by the end of 2014.

Parliament urges the Commission to defend the EU budget in order to boost strategic investment through European added value and believes that investments to strengthen the EU's competitiveness will play a key role in the next year and in the years to follow.

Parliament goes on to make a series of sector-specific recommendations concerning implementation, the single market, climate, environment, energy and transport, Citizens' Europe, agriculture and fisheries, foreign and development policies and trade.

Most notably, it urges the Commission to:

• propose the introduction of proper national management declarations signed at the appropriate political level covering EU funds under shared management;
• facilitate the rapid completion of the trilogue on the European political party statute in time for the elections to the European Parliament;
• develop a regular assessment of single market integration within the European Semester framework;
• ensure an SME Window financing facility under the future COSME and Horizon 2020 Programmes, involving the EIF and the EIB, to be swiftly launched to facilitate public and private funds investments in innovative and sustainable new businesses, including growth-oriented SMEs;
• table a legislative proposal on better governance of the single market;
• put forward proposals to complete the digital single market, such as a new strategic framework encompassing availability and the EU cross-border portability of digital content, and, in particular, initiatives to generate more consumer trust, including measures to facilitate online payments and improve digital delivery and infrastructures;
• adopt as quickly as possible its proposals on a draft regulation establishing a Single Resolution Mechanism and on the follow-up to the recommendations on bank structural reform;
• come up with an appropriate proposal for a common EU definition of tax havens and introduce a black list of non-cooperative third countries and jurisdictions;
• bring forward proposals to address the structural weaknesses of the current Emissions Trading System;
• present a detailed action plan of measures designed to achieve a fully integrated and interconnected single market in energy;
• put forward proposals to accomplish the single European telecommunications market, including measures to abolish roaming charges, no later than 2015;
• promote measures such as reform of labour markets where structural problems are hindering the entrance of young people, and support Member States in implementing a Youth Guarantee;
• propose an EU roadmap against homophobia and discrimination;
• continue its work on the EU-US agreement on the protection of personal data and reiterates the urgency of its rapid conclusion;
• assess the implementation of the Regulation on the European Citizens' Initiative and amend it, where appropriate;
• ensure effective implementation of the final agreements of the CAP reform that minimise the burden on farmers and on the administrative bodies of the Member States whilst ensuring that the new rules are effectively, implemented;
• increase the quantity and efficiency of EU humanitarian aid and assistance delivery to people in need of basic goods and services in Syria and among refugees from Syria in neighbouring countries;
• put forward a proposal setting up a mechanism, financed by the relevant EU external action financial instrument aiming to provide legal and technical assistance to the authorities of the Arab Spring countries on the recovery of misappropriated assets stolen by former dictators;
• launch a process of deep reflection, with the involvement of Parliament, on the future international trade strategy, including a possible reform of the functioning of the WTO.