The EU Policy Lab helps EU institutions and Member States navigate a growing landscape of risks, from pandemics and geopolitical shocks to climate‑driven extremes and cascading polycrises. By combining foresight, behavioural insights and design for policy, we support policies that strengthen preparedness and resilience across Europe.
More concretely, we:
- Scan emerging trends and disruptions to spot future risks and opportunities for the EU.
- Co‑create tools such as the Polycrisis Exploration Workshop to stress‑test strategies and improve long‑term preparedness.
- Study how people perceive risks and behave before and during crises, identifying barriers to effective preparedness and response.
- Design and test evidence‑based interventions and communication approaches that encourage constructive emergency behaviours in a whole‑of‑society approach.
- Use participatory design methods to develop user‑centred, adaptive policies that evolve as risks change and work in real‑world contexts.
More news on risks
Find out more about the foresight methods informing this year's Strategic Foresight Report!
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- Foresight
The Polycrisis Exploration Workshop Tool transforms foresight from an abstract exercise into an actionable, collective process.
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- Foresight
Building resilient communities in the face of disasters requires more than issuing warnings or providing information.
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- Behavioural insights
A new tool for policymakers helps to explore the effects of polycrisis on their policy area
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- Foresight
- Design for policy
On 21 September, the EU Policy Lab had the honour of hosting an event on the topic of Risks on the Horizon at the UN Summit of the Future in New York. The event focused on the role of foresight in the field of risk management.
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- Foresight
In a world where the only constant is change, policymakers are faced with an accelerating pace of global shifts, uncertainty and unforeseen events that make long-term planning impossible.
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- Foresight
Horizon scanning provides awareness of what is new or changing. The goal is to identify risks, as well as opportunities, that these signal of change can create. It also allows early reflection on the intended and unintended effects of these developments.
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- Foresight