Politics · 2026-10-26 · Afternoon briefing

Brussels: Report advances biggest EU Commission reform in two decades

A plan for the European Commission’s largest administrative overhaul in two decades advanced on Monday after a group of external advisers submitted a key report to President Ursula von der Leyen. The document, prepared by a team led by former Commission Secretary-General Catherine Day, contains nine recommendations for streamlining its sprawling bureaucracy and making it more efficient.

The proposed changes could affect several powerful departments. Among those facing uncertainty are the directorates-general for regional policy (DG REGIO), which manages almost a third of all EU spending, and for agriculture (DG AGRI), which oversees the Common Agricultural Policy. Departments for employment, fisheries, and research are also under review.

No restructuring decisions have yet been made. The report will inform a wider review overseen by Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin, with final recommendations due by the end of 2026. Major structural changes are unlikely to be decided before negotiations conclude on the European Union's next long-term budget, which will run from 2028 to 2034.

Summary written by Cup of News with AI from the sources below. Check the originals for the full story.

Read the sources

• Apple among biggest corporate lobbyists in Brussels, per report
• Nine Horizon Europe projects convene in Brussels to advance science-based pathways for transformative change for biodiversity

More stories in this edition

1. Anthropic files for IPO with potential $2 trillion valuation
2. Latvia: NATO begins its largest-ever deployment exercise
3. Kenyan police clash with protesters over fuel price hikes
4. Sudan: RSF drone strikes knock out power in eastern states
5. Russia expands glide-bomb production, new report reveals
6. China's Communist Party meets to 'tighten discipline'
7. Australian insurer Challenger rejects Daiichi Life takeover bid
8. Illegal mining in Ghana threatens national gas pipelines
9. Key Atlantic ocean current has slowed 18% in 40 years

Read the whole edition