Statement by President von der Leyen with Commissioner Serafin and Catherine Day, Chair of the High-Level Group on the Future of the Commission's Civil Service, on the occasion of the handover of the report by the external advisers on the Large-scale

We live in a world that gives little time to adapt. We face growing external and internal challenges to our security, to our economy, and to our societies. And increasingly, these challenges converge. Rising to the task requires clear political choices. But it also requires an administration that turns these choices into action. The Political Guidelines are calling for a Europe that is faster, simpler and more focused. Therefore, the Commission must of course also lead by example.

This is why I asked Commissioner Serafin in his mission letter to undertake a large-scale review of our organisation and operations. This work brings together three perspectives: the experience of colleagues across the Commission; benchmarking against comparable organisations; the advice of the High-Level Reflection Group, our external sounding board. Today, I welcome the Group's report, which brings an independent, external perspective to the modernisation and the reform of the Commission. It is drawing on the experience of its members from other national and international public administrations' reforms. I really want to thank Catherine Day and all its members for the remarkable work and the important contribution.

We have strong foundations to build on. Through successive crises, our European civil service has shown its dedication, professionalism and its capacity to deliver. Our colleagues helped secure vaccines. They put our recovery plan into practice. They organised support for Ukraine. They stabilised the energy market and shielded consumers from high prices and energy shortages. They brough assistance to communities struck by natural disasters. They responded to migration pressures and hybrid threats. They took on new responsibilities. And they found solutions – often under impressive pressure. Their dedication has been extraordinary. So, we can be really proud of our European civil service.

But our tasks have grown. Resources are increasingly constrained. Technology is opening up new possibilities. Therefore, we have three priorities. First, we need to be able to act effectively and to act quickly. That means simpler procedures, clearer structures, better cooperation across departments. So that our colleagues can focus their efforts where it makes the greatest difference. Second, we need to make every euro count. At a time when Europeans face cost-of-living pressures, they rightly so expect public money to keep delivering added value and tangible results. Our ambition is to make the best possible use of our resources – by strengthening synergies and cooperation; by directing our efforts where they can make the greatest difference; and by investing in the priorities that matter most to Europeans. Every improvement frees up time and resources to serve Europeans. Third, we need to equip our people for the future – artificial intelligence offers new ways to work, new ways to improve processes – and find less burdensome ways to make the European Union work for business and citizens. We must give our colleagues the skills and tools to best use it. We must develop talent, simplify services, and make better use of technologies.

The review builds on these foundations. In a first phase, more than 150 colleagues have contributed through 15 workstreams. They have done this alongside and in addition to their daily responsibilities, and I really want to thank them for that. And I thank thousands of colleagues from all Commission services who also contributed with comments and about 2 000 different ideas since the start of this process. Now, we are reaching the second phase with the High-Level Reflection Group's external and independent report. The report will inform the review's recommendations, due by the end of 2026. Reform is a shared responsibility right across the Commission, for the political leadership and colleagues at all levels of the organisation. Our ambition remains clear: to deliver the best possible public service for our European citizens.