Intergenerational Fairness in the EU

In 2024 the European Commission appointed for the first time a European Commissioner with responsibility for Intergenerational Fairness, “to ensure that decisions taken today do not harm future generations”. In 2026, the Commission published its first-ever Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness.

The creation of this role and this new strategy give the EU the opportunity to show global leadership on governance and future-thinking. It joins a growing number of governments around the world which have formalised long-term thinking in decision-making to better make sure future generations can inherit a thriving, stable world and enjoy a good quality of life.

This follows progress on the international level, where the 2024 Summit of the Future culminated in a Pact for the Future and a Declaration on Future Generations.

Our work aims to provide evidence-informed advice to policymakers across the EU on how to implement the EU’s first Strategy for Intergenerational Fairness, which we supported with research and input earlier in its co-creative development. We will also continue to monitor and support the efforts of EU institutions and Member States with research that aims at a better understanding on intergenerational fairness and long-term governance.

This work builds on other ZOE Institute projects in the area of rethinking governance, or the ‘how’ of policymaking. Our research suggests that it is important that Intergenerational Fairness in the EU goes beyond youth and is cross-cutting, to bridge silos between different policy areas using tools for long-term policymaking like strategic foresight.