The European Commission is expected to adopt and publish its 2027 work programme (CWP 2027) on Tuesday 20 October 2026, according to a note by the Council’s General Secretariat dated 17 September 2026. For digital policy, the preview released so far points to a year of finishing files already on the table: none of the 21 new initiatives in the Commission’s letter of intent is a dedicated digital or telecom law.

The date is indicative: as of 5 October 2026 the Commission had not announced a time. On 20 October Brussels and Strasbourg are on CEST (UTC+2).

Key dates for the 2027 programme

  • 16 September 2026: State of the Union address and letter of intent from President Ursula von der Leyen and Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič.
  • 20 October 2026 (expected): adoption of the work programme, during the European Parliament’s Strasbourg plenary of 19–22 October. In Strasbourg weeks the College of Commissioners meets on Tuesday rather than Wednesday.
  • 19 November 2026: presentation to the General Affairs Council.
  • 15 December 2026: planned Council approval of the Joint Declaration on the EU’s legislative priorities for 2027.
  • 17 December 2026: planned signature of that declaration by the three institutions’ presidents on the margins of the European Council.

The timing matches recent practice: the 2026 programme was adopted on 21 October 2025, also in an October Strasbourg week.

What the letter of intent says about digital

The letter groups its 21 new initiatives under five headings: competitiveness and jobs; social and inclusion; security and defence; climate and resilience; and democracy, rule of law and values. The item closest to data policy is “Prüm international”, on international data exchange for police cooperation.

Digital themes appear in the letter’s text instead. It describes artificial intelligence as “fast becoming a foundational layer for our economy and security”, promises to do more to protect children online and pledges a “simplicity-by-design” approach for all new proposals. The final programme can still add or regroup items, so the adoption-day annexes are the reference.

Digital files already in the pipeline

Much of the 2027 digital workload is already on the table. Status as of early October 2026 (more in our Policy section):

  • Digital Omnibus (GDPR, cookies, data rules): proposed on 19 November 2025. Parliament’s joint industry and civil liberties committees received more than 1,750 amendments, and a planned Council mandate vote on 26 June 2026 was cancelled, according to the Legislative Train.
  • Digital Networks Act: adopted by the Commission on 21 January 2026 and referred to Parliament’s industry committee (EPRS). Background in our Telecom section.
  • Digital euro: Parliament’s plenary backed opening talks with the Council on 9 July 2026, and the first trilogue took place on 13 July. The institutions’ “One Europe, One Market” roadmap calls for the law to be finalised by the end of 2026 (Freshfields summary).
  • Child sexual abuse (CSA) Regulation: in trilogues since 9 December 2025; a trilogue on 29 September 2026 was dedicated to detection obligations (Council state of play).
  • Chips Act 2.0 and Cloud and AI Development Act: both proposed on 3 June 2026 as part of a tech sovereignty package.
  • EU KIDS Act: proposed on 17 September 2026. It would keep social media platforms off-limits to children under 13 and set 15 as the EU-wide minimum age for opening an account of one’s own.

Annex III of the programme lists pending proposals; check which of these files it names.

Proposals still due before the end of 2026

Two more digital proposals are still expected this year. The Digital Fairness Act, covering dark patterns, addictive design and influencer marketing, was slated for the fourth quarter of 2026, and von der Leyen said in her State of the Union speech that it would come in autumn (Legislative Train). The Commission’s indicative list of College meetings, as reported on 29 September 2026, pencils in the Digital Fairness Act for 11 November and a Quantum Act for 18 November. Both dates can move; if either slips into 2027, the new programme is where that would show.

For AI rules specifically, the dates set after the AI Omnibus are in our AI Act timeline.

Withdrawals: the annex to check

Annex IV lists pending proposals the Commission intends to withdraw; Parliament and Council can give their views before it decides (Commission Q&A). The 2025 programme, adopted on 11 February 2025, listed 37 withdrawals, including the ePrivacy Regulation and the AI Liability Directive. The 2026 programme listed 25. The 2027 list will show whether any stalled digital file is being dropped.

Where to read it

The programme and its annexes appear on the Commission’s work programme page. The 2026 programme had five annexes: new initiatives, evaluations and fitness checks, pending proposals, intended withdrawals and repeals.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Commission work programme 2027 published?

The Council’s planning note expects publication on Tuesday 20 October 2026. The Commission had not confirmed a time as of 5 October 2026.

Does the 2027 letter of intent include a new digital law?

Not a dedicated one. AI and child protection online appear only in the letter’s text, not among its 21 new initiatives.

What happens after the programme is adopted?

The Council’s planning note schedules its presentation to the General Affairs Council on 19 November 2026. The three institutions then negotiate a Joint Declaration on 2027 priorities, planned for signature on 17 December 2026.