25/11/2025
At a time when short-term considerations increasingly dominate government action, the EU has embarked on a major effort to integrate long-term thinking and intergenerational responsibility into its policy-making.
This ambition is reflected in the mission of European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport Glenn Micallef, who is tasked with developing an EU Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness to ensure that decisions taken today do not harm future generations and to promote greater solidarity between people of all ages.
To this end, last September, the Commission established the European Citizens’ Panel on Intergenerational Fairness, which brought together 150 randomly selected citizens from the 27 EU Member States over three weekends to consider a more equitable future between generations. After three months of deliberations, the panel has now submitted its final recommendations to the Commissioner.
What citizens are calling for
A clear message emerges from all their recommendations: Europe must think long term and ensure that the decisions taken today do not disadvantage future generations.
- Lifelong learning for all ages
Citizens consider continuous learning to be essential for social inclusion, employability and meaningful participation in society.
- Strengthening intercultural and intergenerational ties
They call for more opportunities to bring Europeans together, across borders and generations, in order to build a common identity and stronger communities.
- Fair and sustainable economic and social systems
This includes decent living conditions, support for sustainable agriculture and food systems, and policies to reduce inequalities between age groups.
- Governance that protects future generations
Citizens are urging the EU to incorporate long-term thinking into policy-making through better anticipation, accountability mechanisms and inclusive democratic participation.
Why the EU Must Act on These Recommendations
These proposals provide clear and legitimate guidance for a strategy that risks being too vague or symbolic if strong priorities are not defined. The work of the expert group shows that when citizens deliberate, they consistently prioritise fairness, sustainability and social cohesion, areas in which EU policy-making often struggles to take a long-term perspective.
Shaping the Next Phase
The Commission should now incorporate these recommendations into the next EU Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness, with the continued support of the citizen engagement platform. The challenge will be to translate citizens’ expectations into concrete policies and to ensure that the strategy is not only ambitious but also achievable.
It is now up to the European institutions to act in accordance with their vision and make Europe truly equitable for current and future generations. As co-creator of the Future Generations initiative, The Good Lobby is actively involved in shaping the EU Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness. From our meeting with Commissioner Micallef’s office last January to our participation in key events and the formulation of the Future Generations coalition’s core principles, we are advocating for the integration of future generations’ rights into EU policy and governance, to ensure that long-term thinking becomes a central part of the decision-making process.