The European Commission recently published its General Report for 2016, a treaty-obligated annual release that covers how European Union (EU) citizens benefit from the organization’s activities and the EU’s progress on its priorities.
 
“Our ambition now, as the European Union, must not simply be to adapt to a changing world, but to shape it,” wrote President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker in the General Report forward. “Our goal is not only to protect what we have today, but to build a better society for tomorrow.”
 
In addition to the full report, the European Commission also released a summary version for the general public, in a more accessible manner that is understandable even for those not familiar with the EU’s typical operations. Both the report and the summary complement the commission's earlier release of a white paper detailing its vision for potential directions the Union can move in going forward.
 
“Our children deserve a Europe that preserves their way of life. They deserve a Europe that empowers and defends them,” Juncker wrote in the forward. “They deserve a Europe that protects. It is time we – the institutions, the governments and the citizens – all took responsibility for building that Europe. Together.”