Strategy for Intergenerational Fairness adopted.

In March, the European Commission presented, for the first time, a Strategy for Intergenerational Fairness. It aims to ensure that political decisions are taken with greater consideration of their long-term impacts and that a balanced distribution of benefits and burdens between present and future generations is maintained. The strategy focuses on addressing key challenges such as demographic change, digitalisation and artificial intelligence. In doing so, it aligns with international efforts towards more forward-looking policymaking, such as the UN Pact for the Future and the Declaration on Future Generations, which were endorsed by the EU and its Member States at the UN Summit of the Future on 22 September 2024.

A new intergenerational contract

The strategy highlights the consequences of inaction – the so-called “costs of inaction”. In the area of climate change alone, failure to act could result in a reduction of the EU’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 7 per cent up to a double-digit percentage by the end of the century. Inaction also poses risks to the resilience of democracy: in the long term, trust in institutions – including social security systems – may decline if political measures are perceived as an inadequate response to generational change. The costs of inaction in the field of intergenerational fairness are therefore not only economic in nature, but also democratic, social and environmental.

To counter this, the strategy introduces a symbolic “intergenerational contract”, developed in response to the recommendations of the European Citizens’ Panel and based on three pillars: 1) Fair policymaking that incorporates long-term thinking and the perspective of young people; 2) fair opportunities that bring generations together around shared goals for a better future; and 3) fair places that promote fairness between generations across all regions. It provides a common framework for aligning foresight, fairness and responsibility for all generations and across all stages of life.

15-Point plan to ensure fairness

The Strategy for Intergenerational Fairness is intended to lay the foundations for greater fairness between generations. To achieve this goal, a 15-action work programme has been developed. Key actions include:

• The development of an index for intergenerational fairness
  
• The organisation of a Demography Forum
  
• The creation of a multilingual toolkit for forward-looking policymaking
  

Several EU Member States are already leading by example and have established initiatives in the past that contribute to intergenerational fairness. These include, among others, the Netherlands, Belgium and Poland.

Social investment

During the presentation of the strategy, Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu, responsible for social rights and skills, emphasised that investing in people can create a fairer and more prosperous future. The aim is to empower people at all stages of life to successfully address current and future challenges. In this context, social security measures – such as medical and vocational rehabilitation, prevention, and occupational health and safety – make an important contribution to intergenerational fairness as social investments.

Outlook

The European Commission emphasises that the strategy is not a single policy measure, but a long-term approach to policymaking. Greater consideration is to be given to the perspectives and concerns of young people – as the young people of today are the older generations of tomorrow. A progress report at the beginning of 2028 will accompany the process and contribute to the implementation of the United Nations’ objectives for future generations.