Opinion of the European Committee of the Regions – Intergenerational Fairness – A Local and Regional Approach to Building Inclusive and Sustainable Societies
Date: 2025-07-03
Institutions: Commission for Social Policy, Education, Employment, Research and Culture, European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: EU policy, EU strategy, European social policy, economic system, elderly person, environmental policy, population policy, social integration, young person, youth policy








C_202504417EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2025/4417


29.8.2025






Opinion of the European Committee of the Regions – Intergenerational Fairness
A Local and Regional Approach to Building Inclusive and Sustainable Societies
(C/2025/4417)














Rapporteur



:


Tine RADINJA (SI/GREENS), Mayor of Škofja Loka









POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS (CoR)

General comments









1.


affirms that building a fair and sustainable future for all generations is a shared responsibility and a cornerstone of the European project. Intergenerational fairness means ensuring that the decisions made today—on public finances, the environment, or care systems, and beyond—enable both current and future generations to thrive. Recognises that when the benefits and burdens of policies are unevenly distributed across generations, this can lead to injustice; therefore, calls for policies that safeguard the wellbeing of future generations while addressing today’s social and environmental challenges in a just and inclusive way;












2.


in accordance with Article 3(3) of the Treaty of the European Union and the preamble to the Charter of Fundamental Rights, believes that the needs of present generations should be met without compromising the rights of future generations and thus recognising that Intergenerational Fairness (IGF) is a crucial topic for the wellbeing of present and Future Generations (FG) in Europe;












3.


affirms that intergenerational fairness cannot be achieved without addressing structural socio-economic inequalities that disproportionately affect vulnerable and marginalised groups, including women, children, young people, migrants and people living in poverty;












4.


emphasises the importance of local and regional authorities (LRAs) in (1) shaping inclusive, sustainable and prosperous communities through future-oriented policies that take future generations into special consideration, and (2) including children and young people in local decision-making;












5.


reaffirms its duty and ambition to substantially contribute to the European Commission’s upcoming initiatives on intergenerational fairness, which is one of the key priorities in the post-2024 agenda. The Commission has announced plans to launch the first-ever EU strategy on intergenerational fairness, aiming to ensure that no generation is left behind and to systematically integrate the youth perspective across all relevant policy areas. The Committee of the Regions is keen to play an active part in these initiatives, supporting steps to strengthen intergenerational justice and ensure that the needs and rights of future generations are properly taken into account in EU policies;












6.


by playing a proactive role, aims to shape the EU strategy in this field and address related important issues including, but not limited to: climate justice and environmental sustainability, biodiversity loss and natural resource limitations as well as demographic change, youth unemployment, precarious employment, access to affordable housing, sustainability of public finances, pensions and taxation, care, climate change, social inequalities and discrimination, ensuring that such policy responses are grounded in local and regional realities with a long-term perspective;












7.


believes that economically sound and sustainable policymaking is an integral part of intergenerational fairness; recognises Europe’s rising levels of economic inequalities and cautions against burdening future generations with entrenched social and economic disparities; stresses the need to take urgent action to transform Europe’s competitiveness priorities to ensure prosperity for future generations;












8.


recognises that the worsening climate crisis has been brought about by the excessive use of fossil fuels and that the broader global ecological crisis has been caused by the inability of the dominant economic system to operate within the limits of our natural environments; reaffirms that the world is undergoing profound changes, evident in environmental degradation (e.g. increase in the frequency of extreme weather events, desertification and loss of biodiversity, and the depletion of finite natural resources) which require a just, inclusive, and systemic response;












9.


learning from the European Court of Human Rights ruling 
Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz v. Switzerland ruling of the ECHR (2024), acknowledges that failing to adopt ambitious environmental policies risks entrenching a legacy of exponentially declining quality of life and deepening inequalities, both for current and for future generations; Underscores that the wellbeing of present generations must not come at the expense of those to come, as doing so would perpetuate historical injustices;












10.


following Article 3 of the UNFCCC, points out the need to protect the climate system for the benefit of present and future generations to ensure they inherit a sustainable environment and have access to the resources necessary for life and prosperity; stresses that this protection should be provided on an equal basis and in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibility (CBDR) and the respective capacities of states, meaning that each country should take action within the boundaries of its own capabilities. It is therefore economically advanced countries that should play the leading role in the fight against climate change. At the same time, the Committee points out that appropriate limits need to be placed on the actions of the current generation. This requires the establishment of legal mechanisms to uphold our responsibilities towards future generations;





Policy areas


Future-proofing EU policies









11.


considers it crucial for the EU to future-proof all EU policies to make the EU and all its regions better prepared. It should also mainstream the gender perspective in its policies to enable it to identify and redress the inequalities faced by women and to make the society of the future more just, equal and sustainable; recommends mainstreaming the use of foresight across the EU institutions and all levels of government to inform policymaking and strategic planning, to enable the EU to meet its strategic objectives and strengthen the EU’s preparedness to both better face risks and use the opportunities ahead that may materialise for future generations; recognises, in this connection, that the assessment of long-term impact is subject to considerable methodological and predictive uncertainty, which means that foresight tools need continuous further development;












12.


calls for an Interinstitutional Declaration on IGF as a strong outcome of the Commission strategy addressing the potential recognition of FG rights and their interaction with EU law as well as addressing the trade-offs between the interests of current and future generations; particular attention should be paid here to the potential conflicts of interest that arise when short-term political or economic considerations risk undermining long-term sustainability and intergenerational fairness. An Intergenerational Solidarity Framework defining the rights of young people and future generations should also be established. The framework would ensure consistency between current and future legislation, and incorporate procedural mechanisms for oversight and stakeholder engagement;












13.


insists that future-proofing policies should include strong public investment in universal social infrastructure such as healthcare, childcare, education, housing as a fundamental enabler of intergenerational solidarity and upward social mobility;












14.


encourages the EU institutions to integrate an intergenerational perspective across EU policies, strategies and programmes by developing IGF into a revised Better Regulation tool;












15.


stresses the need for investment in programmes to enhance awareness of future challenges and ensure the sustainability of policies. This is vital to establish broad support among citizens for investing in measures to implement the Green Deal today in order to address the potential harm to future generations;












16.


underlines the urgent need to strengthen European governance by embedding long-term thinking into policymaking, ensuring that sustainability, economic resilience, social equity and environmental protection guide decision-making in the interests of both current and future generations. Local and regional authorities must be enabled to act as key drivers of this transformation, especially through delivering inclusive cultural services and skills development programmes for young people in peripheral areas, thereby ensuring no region or generation is left behind. Emphasises the vital role of local and regional authorities (LRAs) in driving this shift through inclusive, future-oriented strategies; as the level closest to citizens, they are best placed to understand local communities’ specific circumstances;












17.


calls on all European LRAs to demonstrate strong political commitment to act on inequalities both within and between different age groups and address intergenerational challenges, promoting and practising age diversity in public life and decision-making, as well as intergenerational cohesion. This commitment should also include the design of inclusive youth policies tailored to rural realities, ensuring targeted outreach to youth not in employment, education or training (NEET) populations through local youth centres, digital platforms, and cross-sectoral service hubs;












18.


urges local employment services to develop personalised pathways with monitoring parameters for the integration of rural youth into both traditional jobs and those linked to the digital transformation, thereby providing high-quality job opportunities for young people in rural areas; points out that young people in rural areas need appropriate technological devices, internet access and the necessary training to bridge the digital divide and tackle the main problems of digitalisation, which include cybersecurity, abuse and misuse of social networks and cyberbullying;












19.


stresses the importance of gender-responsive policymaking as a key dimension of intergenerational fairness. Policies must address the persistent gender gaps in care, pay and representation, which have long-term impacts on the social and economic prospects of both current and future generations;





Sustainable economic systems and demographic resilience









20.


understands that, as the interdependence between the economy and the environment is becoming increasingly clear, it also becomes a matter of intergenerational fairness. The wellbeing and material wealth of future generations requires the EU economic model to be adapted, including the way economic gains are distributed; therefore, stresses the need for the EU’s economic model to reflect intergenerational fairness by prioritising long-term, sustainable economic policies through distribution and climate and ecological safeguards;












21.


emphasises the need to use alternative indicators beyond GDP, such as the Social Progress Index, to measure economic sustainability, and thus to develop additional, consistent, recognised indicators that can measure intergenerational fairness across sectors and time horizons, thus ensuring intergenerational fairness. Comprehensive metrics should account for environmental impact, access to good-quality healthcare and education, wealth distribution, and long-term wellbeing in order to better reflect the sustainability of economic systems for future generations;












22.


calls for the differences between geographical areas to be recognised in terms of the impact of demographic change and aggravating factors for intergenerational poverty for current and future generations. In this context, specific support should be directed towards local and regional authorities in structurally disadvantaged areas, who are often the last line of defence against youth outmigration by enabling them to provide targeted training, upskilling opportunities and cultural infrastructure for young people. Policies must address the particular vulnerability of NEET youth in rural and deprived urban areas, for whom the lack of quality education, employment opportunities and accessible services contributes to long-term social exclusion and reinforces intergenerational poverty cycles. LRAs are directly affected by current demographic trends, such as increased longevity, ageing populations, a decreasing share of young people, and depopulation of rural areas, with growing pension obligations and a growing demand for health and social care services and infrastructure which meet the needs of different generations;












23.


calls for support to be given to the Member States in implementing reforms that cover people’s entire lifespan: facilitating longer healthy lives and working lives, fighting poverty at all ages, addressing gaps in access to social protection for people in non-standard forms of employment and the self-employed, facilitating a healthy work-life balance as well as fostering the development of the silver economy to unlock the potential of older generations as active contributors to society;












24.


advocates inclusive and transparent tax systems across Members States and LRAs where there is capacity per the European Charter of Local Self-Government (Art. 9.1, 9.3, 9.6). These systems should be based on the principles of fairness, economic soundness and sustainability, which promote intergenerational participation in decision-making, and ensure accessibility, representation, and good governance practices to secure long-term policies that uphold intergenerational fairness by sharing the burden as fairly as possible; proposes that fiscal legislation with intergenerational impacts undergo a Youth Test – a systematic impact assessment on how a given piece of legislation impacts the lives of young people now and in the future. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the impact of tax policies on young people be regularly monitored and evaluated to ensure that the policies are effective and adapt to changing needs;












25.


suggests the piloting of participatory budgeting at all levels of government, starting from the local and regional level, ensuring that young people are meaningfully included in the process, for example, by enhancing collaboration between young people who belong to an association and those who do not, as well as the overall role of local citizen participation councils while implementing measures to prioritise young adults and marginalised groups in decision making;












26.


calls for the polluter-pays principle to be applied, sustainable behaviours to be incentivised and public revenues to be directed toward future-proof investments, ensuring economic and environmental stability for future generations; stresses the importance of coupling such measures with strong social safeguards to protect vulnerable households and ensure a just transition;












27.


reaffirms the need to revise pension systems and ensure a fair intergenerational balance (COM/2002/0737); suggests adapting pension schemes by putting in place mechanisms to monitor and evaluate certain parameters such as net wealth growth and pension accrual rates, as well as asset and savings accumulation metrics. This allows for flexibility in adapting the schemes to current demographic and economic changes in order to avoid an exponentially large fiscal burden on future working generations. Reforms should promote intergenerational fairness by balancing the needs of current and future retirees with the capacity of working generations;





Youth empowerment and democratic inclusion









28.


continues to call for strengthened mechanisms for the participation of young people and older people in democratic decision-making, encouraging LRAs to address any age-based discrimination, also by revising the minimum age requirement for voting and fostering the participation of young candidates in elections, thereby enhancing youth representation in political life. Particular efforts should be made to empower young people in rural and peripheral areas, including NEET youth, who often face compounded barriers to political participation due to limited access to information, mobility constraints and lower representation in institutional structures;












29.


recalls the recommendation adopted in the CoR opinion on ‘The Future of Youth Policy in the EU’ which invites Member States to seriously consider lowering the voting age to 16 for all local and regional elections in Europe; reiterates the importance of gathering data and facilitating knowledge exchange on the impact of institutional arrangements on youth political participation, including aspects such as the minimum age to vote and stand for election, and limitations on the number of political mandates;












30.


calls on EU institutions to seek out young people and systematically consult them on their views, as expressed through the EU Youth Dialogue and other youth-led initiatives;












31.


stresses the need that, at local and regional level, people across the EU and of all generations, should be encouraged to engage in the political and social life of municipalities and cities so that democratic institutions can ensure that the initiatives and needs of both older and younger residents are included. Particular attention must be paid to ensuring that young people from marginalised rural areas have access to participatory processes, civic education and capacity-building programmes that empower them to become cultural and democratic leaders in their communities;












32.


calls on the European Commission to further develop and apply a transparent ‘youth check/test’, to screen initiatives in its work programme, organise dedicated youth consultations for initiatives, and embed the test in the Better Regulation tools. This will require administrations at all levels to have adequate analytical and organisational resources and cross-cutting competences, to develop and use such tools effectively. This should to be complemented by regular youth dialogues to ensure that the views of young people are factored into the preparation of all the youth-relevant policy initiatives;












33.


recommends that LRAs put in place a Youth Policy Test, to ensure policy choices that are long-lasting and impactful, while reducing inequalities and considering the needs of young people both today and in the future and also recommends that LRAs put in place a Youth Policy Test which specifically assesses territorial inequalities, including whether young people in rural and remote regions, especially NEET youth, can access and benefit from proposed measures equally;












34.


encourages LRAs to pilot the inclusion of Ombudsman representatives for future generations, as outlined in the Budapest Declaration and along the lines of the work of the Ombudsman of Future Generations in Hungary, ensuring that the interests and rights of future populations are considered across environmental, climate, social and economic policy decisions. This initiative would empower LRAs to advocate long-term sustainability, intergenerational justice, and the protection of natural resources for generations to come;





Intergenerational solidarity









35.


highlighting the EESC opinion on Intergenerational Solidarity, recognises that the LRAs have a key role in fostering intergenerational exchanges, fighting stereotypes, increasing both participation and representation of young and older people in public life, in addition to facilitating their relationship with governing institutions; therefore, in integrating considerations of intergenerational fairness in their policymaking, LRAs can strengthen the social fabric and instil a culture of participatory democracy that applies to all ages, including both young and older citizens;












36.


highlights that LRAs can facilitate intergenerational learning, including mentoring or experience-sharing, as much intergenerational learning happens informally in the community, in local activities in libraries and museums, cultural, sports or other associations, and religious institutions, if sufficient funding is provided for this;












37.


emphasises the importance of preserving and passing on the rich national and European historical heritage and diverse cultural roots, in addition to the role of religious, linguistic and national minorities, traditional practices, and cultural monuments to future generations, acknowledging this as our ongoing shared responsibility. This effort must actively involve young people, especially in rural and less developed regions, as key actors in cultural transmission, innovation and stewardship. Providing them with the necessary skills and opportunities is essential for keeping Europe’s biocultural heritage alive. Rising temperatures, extreme weather, coastal erosion, and air pollution accelerate the deterioration of historic sites and artifacts. At the same time, other challenges such as urbanisation, mass tourism, neglect, armed conflict, illicit trafficking, and a lack of funding for conservation efforts also endanger cultural heritage. Protecting and safeguarding this shared legacy is an essential expression of intergenerational solidarity and must be supported by inclusive policies, community engagement, and adequate public investment at all levels of government;












38.


encourages LRAs to promote intergenerational solidarity through public policies that actively support care work—both formal and informal—by recognising its value in bridging generational divides, especially through social protection for caregivers;












39.


emphasises the mutual benefits of intergenerational projects and cooperation in fostering social cohesion and addressing shared societal challenges – including, but not limited to, intergenerational housing initiatives that respond to both the shortage of affordable housing for young people and the loneliness experienced by the elderly. The Committee highlights the positive impact of intergenerational projects on the mental health not only of older people but also of young people, as both age groups suffer from isolation and loneliness driven by different factors: unwanted loneliness or social isolation in the case of older people and digital loneliness or isolation in the case of young people; in rural areas, such initiatives could also serve as re-engagement pathways for NEET youth by linking them with older generations through mentorship, apprenticeships or shared housing models, fostering mutual support and community cohesion;





Conclusion









40.


underlines that most global problems, and particularly environmental ones, persist over long periods and extend beyond a single generation; points out that future generations will live with the consequences of environmental pollution without having contributed to it; concludes that LRAs and European Institutions have to lead the way in addressing these injustices and therefore calls on the Commission to fully engage with the LRAs in the EU Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness, mapping out how the interests of both present and future generations are respected throughout EU policy and law-making, so that no future generation bears the weight of yesterday’s choices.






Brussels, 3 July 2025.


The President


of the European Committee of the Regions

Kata TÜTTŐ
               





ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/4417/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)