Overview
Strategic plans are planning documents where departments describe how they will contribute to the Commission's broader political goals, and define specific department objectives for a five-year period.
Under the umbrella of the strategic plan, each Commission department also produces an annual management plan for the year ahead. Management plans outline department activities and how they contribute to meeting the objectives set in their strategic plan.
The purpose of the strategic plans and management plans is to
- help Commission departments align their own objectives with the Commission's overall policy objectives
- plan and manage activities to achieve their objectives by making efficient use of resources
- set performance indicators for monitoring progress during the year
- identify the main risks that may have an impact on achieving objectives and suggest how to address them
- provide a basis for reporting on results in the annual activity report
- draw conclusions from lessons learnt and past experience
Strategic plans
In their strategic plans, Commission departments describe how they will contribute to the 6 political priorities of the Commission and to making the Commission a modern, sustainable and high-performing administration. They define specific objectives for their department for a five-year period as well as indicators to help them track progress. All departments report on progress each year in their annual activity reports.
Management plans
In management plans, Commission departments define their main actions and outputs for the year ahead and how these will contribute to meeting set objectives. They reflect
- the state of the union address by the president of the European Commission
- the Commission work programme
- the links between department objectives and the available resources as included in the budget