On 19 October 2021, the European Commission published its new Work Programme 2022, setting out its key initiatives for the year ahead. A major feature of the Work Programme 2022 is the so-called “one-in, one-out” approach aiming to reduce the burdens placed on citizens and businesses in the same policy area whenever new initiatives are introduced.

Under the title “Making Europe stronger together”, the Work Programme contains new legislative initiatives across all six headline ambitions, namely:

• A European Green Deal;
• A Europe Fit for the Digital Age;
• An Economy that Works for People;
• A Stronger Europe in the World;
• Promoting our European Way of Life;
• A New Push for European Democracy.

In the area of Justice and Home Affairs, the Work Programme foresees new (legislative) initiatives in the following areas:

• Security and defence technologies;
• Cyber resilience;
• Advance passenger information;
• Reciprocal access to security-related information between the EU and key third countries;
• Transfer of criminal proceedings.

Furthermore, the Commission plans to assess how to achieve convergence on pre-trial detention and detention conditions between Member States as part of improving cross-border cooperation in criminal matters. Lastly, the Commission will continue its work on the relevant legislative files regarding a future-proof security environment, in order to tackle evolving threats, to protect Europeans from terrorism and organised crime, and to develop a strong and secure European ecosystem. The Work Programme is supplemented by an Annex listing the new initiatives and envisaged repeals.