In March 2026, the European Commission adopted its first Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness, to further develop the reflex of long-term thinking in EU policymaking, while giving greater weight to the views and concerns of young people. The EU’s overarching goal is to guarantee that current decisions are made with the future in mind, ensuring a fair balance of benefits and burdens across all generations.
The Strategy was first announced among the 2024-2029 Political Guidelines of Commission President von der Leyen. It aligns with global efforts for a long-term approach in planning and policies, such as in the UN Declaration on Future Generations. It is shaped around the concept of an ‘Intergenerational Contract‘, built on three pillars:
- Fair policymaking, by applying a ‘youth check’ and foresight tools;
- Fair opportunities, to address the risk of age discrimination;
- Fair places, so that the region you are born in doesn’t define your future.
It adopts a long-term perspective, looking at how complex challenges, such as demographic change, geopolitical shifts, labour market changes, climate change, digitalisation and artificial intelligence among many others, affect both present and future generations. The Strategy recognises that such challenges illustrate both the scope and the urgency of this issue.
To achieve this goal, the Strategy sets out several actions, including:
- Intergenerational Fairness Index to identify opportunities and gaps, inform policy decisions and promote fairness across generations;
- Multilingual Future Oriented Policymaking package to support the development of future literacy in public administrations across EU Member States;
- Organising a demography forum to exchange on demographic developments;
- Voices of the Future initiative to be launched in partnership with the Committee of the Regions, inviting local and regional authorities to engage in shaping their regions’ future.
Consequently, the Strategy covers a wide range of topics including inclusive education, affordable housing, strong care systems, demography and environmental justice, all embedded in intergenerational fairness. As it takes a lifecycle approach by addressing all generations from young to elderly, the strategy will play an important role in family well-being and can enhance effective communication and cooperation between different generations. Hence, COFACE will closely monitor its development and future implementation.
