External Advisers Hand Over Report in Brussels: Von der Leyen's Commission Overhaul Moves a Step Closer

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's administrative overhaul moved a step closer in Brussels on Monday, as a group of external advisers handed over an assessment report that will help shape the institution's biggest administrative shake-up in two decades.

The report was drawn up by a high-level group led by former Commission Secretary-General Catherine Day. The group consisted of Day and eight other experts with experience in national administrations and international organisations including the OECD and the OSCE, and it put forward nine interrelated recommendations aimed at making the Commission more agile and better equipped to adapt to future challenges.

The exercise is known as the large-scale review. It is intended to make the Commission more efficient, streamline its sprawling bureaucracy and turn it into a more attractive employer.

At the handover, von der Leyen said the process was now reaching its second phase, after an initial phase that involved 15 internal workstreams and contributions from thousands of Commission staff. She said the executive needs to be able to act effectively and quickly, which means simpler procedures, clearer structures and better cooperation across departments so colleagues can focus their efforts where it makes the greatest difference.

Among the proposals is a shift away from working in siloed departments toward greater collaboration across directorates-general, including through cross-DG portfolios. The group also called for a stronger Secretariat-General to act as a strategic centre driving results, and for a human-centred approach to artificial intelligence to simplify administrative processes and modernise the institution's operations.

The exercise is politically sensitive because modernisation could lead to a far-reaching reorganisation of powerful departments that oversee billions of euros in EU spending. Departments facing an uncertain future include the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO), which oversees cohesion policy funding accounting for almost a third of EU spending; the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI); DG EMPL, which oversees employment and social funding; DG MARE, which handles fisheries funding; and DG RTD, responsible for research and innovation.

The release of the report on Monday does not mean any restructuring decisions have been taken. Day's report will feed into a wider review overseen by Budget and Public Administration Commissioner Piotr Serafin, who is tasked with presenting final recommendations to von der Leyen by the end of 2026.

Serafin said at the handover that the external assessment, combined with feedback from Commission staff, provided a mandate to go for far-reaching changes. Day said the Commission had already demonstrated a willingness to reform and that the review had shown a broad coalition for change right across the institution. A separate internal process produced an initial set of recommendations in July, drawn up by Commission officials to kick-start a broader discussion rather than serve as final decisions.