We have been working with Commissioner Micallef and services across the European Commission on the first EU Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness – a one‑year collaborative journey to ensure that policies take into account the needs of both present and future generations.
Drawing on our multidisciplinary expertise in foresight, design, behavioural insights and science for policy, the EU Policy Lab shaped the overall process and methodology. Throughout 2025, we brought together citizens, experts and institutions to imagine what intergenerational fairness could look like – and how to make it happen.
A co-created year-long process
The strategy was developed through four connected phases – scoping, visioning, ideation and co‑creation – leading up to adoption by the College of Commissioners.
The EU Policy Lab designed and facilitated each step so that different services, disciplines and perspectives can work together rather than in isolation. This collaborative approach turns a complex topic into coherent, forward-looking policies with tangible impact.
Our approach:
Build a shared vision: bring together teams and experts from across the European Commission to co-create a common, comprehensive strategy.
Engage widely: involve external stakeholders early and maintain open communication throughout the process.
Listen to citizens: gather insights through workshops, Citizens’ Panels and public consultations to ensure the strategy reflects Europe’s real-life experiences.
Connect science and art: value both perspectives equally to inspire innovative, well-rounded design solutions.
Look ahead: use participatory foresight and scientific insights to explore long-term challenges and opportunities and the future impacts of today’s choices.
Think globally, act collectively: foster future‑oriented governance through partnerships and international collaboration, sharing knowledge and resources for better decisions over time.
The reports, tools and ideas below were collected during the co-creation phase; they are not necessarily reflected in the Strategy and they do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Commission.
Since early 2025, the EU Policy Lab and the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture have convened hundreds of participants (from across the Commission and beyond) in workshops, dialogues and online consultations. Together, we started to define what intergenerational fairness means in the EU context and identify the key issues the strategy should address.
To make these issues tangible, insights from this work were translated into curated intergenerational art pieces and featured in the Good Ancestor exhibition. By turning analytical findings into visual and experiential elements visitors could quite literally walk through and engage with what intergenerational fairness feels like.
The exhibition also creates a bridge between policy and culture. Intergenerational fairness is not only a technical or rational concept; it is deeply emotional and value‑laden. Through storytelling and artistic formats, the scoping phase explored questions of legacy, responsibility and hope, bringing forward how different generations experience fairness in everyday life.
Between May and July 2025, the visioning phase invited citizens, experts and members of an Intergenerational Council to co‑create “future snapshots”: vivid stories and scenarios of what a fairer EU could look like for generations to come.
These narratives converged around three guiding themes Inspiration, Connection, and Care, representing shared opportunity areas for building long‑term thinking, stronger intergenerational collaboration, and more inclusive policies.
The Future Snapshots for Intergenerational Fairness collection presents concrete, relatable stories of how fairness might unfold in everyday life — from intergenerational housing and future‑ready education systems to regenerative economies and caring communities. Co‑written by citizens, experts, supported by sci-fi and literacy writers in the Commission, these speculative stories bring guidance, imagination and empathy into the policy process.
Building on earlier phases, the ideation stage organised emerging actions and ideas into a coherent framework and guiding lens.
The framework prioritises safeguarding peace, fundamental rights, living ecosystems, and planetary boundaries, while supporting wellbeing across generations and allowing each generation to define wellbeing in its own context.
Advancing fairness requires long-term thinking, cross-generational collaboration, and strengthened care for vulnerable populations, underpinned by transformative governance across key dimensions (such as focusing on long-term objectives, strengthening responsiveness through policy pilots and continuous assessment, clear accountability to embed fairness, build trust, and deepen citizen engagement).
Together, these elements enable regenerative policies that redefine wellbeing through a lens of equitable prosperity, inclusive communities, ecological integrity, societal resilience, and values-driven innovation.
From the outset of our one-year journey, Intergenerational Fairness was recognised as a shared responsibility, both a principle and a practice, highlighting the need for collaboration during the process and beyond.
During the process, we worked in a coalition format, bringing together Commission colleagues and a diverse mix of scientists, practitioners and stakeholders from across Europe and beyond, representing different disciplines, experiences, and perspectives. This was complemented by a dedicated citizens’ panel, engaging people of all ages and backgrounds from across the EU to contribute their lived experiences, ideas, and priorities, ensuring that the strategy reflects the voices of present and future generations alike.
Beyond co-design, the challenge lies in helping society embrace and operationalise the concept. Intergenerational Fairness was framed as a meta-concept - a guiding principle that informs multiple policy areas rather than a narrow definition or single prescribed action. It is underpinned by meta-norms that frame who future generations are, express ideas, signal values, and provide guiding principles that orient decision-making while allowing for local interpretation and adaptation.
Co-creation report (coming soon)
New formats for engaging on intergenerational fairness
In parallel, a pilot Intergenerational Council gathered participants across age groups and even included proxies for future generations and nature. The Council explored how EU governance can structure meaningful intergenerational dialogue on issues such as democracy, climate, digital inclusion, and social cohesion.
> Read the article on the Intergenerational Fairness Council and find inspiration to create your own version
To communicate these ideas more inclusively, the Lab developed a series of tailored formats for understanding and working with Intergenerational Fairness, each adapted to different audiences and contexts. This approach moves beyond one‑size‑fits‑all communication, helping ensure that messages about intergenerational fairness resonate with communities beyond policy circles.
All this work is underpinned by a robust scientific and foresight framework, ensuring that the Strategy draws on the latest evidence and cross‑disciplinary knowledge.
> Science for intergenerational fairness
> European research and innovation for intergenerational fairness
> Foresight journey supporting the process (coming soon)
> Literature list on intergenerational fairness
Looking ahead to strategy adoption
The next steps focus on translating the collective insights gathered in 2025 into a coherent strategy text and action plan, supported by evidence and linked to existing EU initiatives on foresight, democracy, social rights and sustainability.
In 2026, following interservice review and formal procedures, the EU Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness was adopted by the College of Commissioners, offering a new lens to ensure EU policies are fair, sustainable and fit for current and future generations.
To support this work, ‘pockets of fairness’ (one‑page policy briefs covering 24 themes) were developed to inspire Commission colleagues across policy fields.
> Discover the 24 'pockets of fairness'
Driving it forward
We invite partners, citizens, and institutions to join us in shaping fairer futures. All materials and process tools are open and ready to be reused or adapted at local level.
> Explore the Process Manual – how to set up a co‑creation process (coming soon)
> Discover Voices of the Future – ideas and tools for regional and local partners (coming soon)
For more opportunities, please check out our partners:
- Impact coalition for future generations – UN ImPACT coalition – amplifying the global movement, providing essential coordination, resources and advocacy. Want to join the movement – sign up here
- Future Generations Platform – UN University – tracking how governments and citizens are taking real steps to protect future generations. Check out examples or add your own
