COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness
Date: 2026-03-05
Institutions: Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission
Subjects: EU policy, EU strategy, European social policy, education policy, environmental policy, intergenerational equity, sustainable development, young person, youth policy

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 5.3.2026  SWD(2026) 80 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT   Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness {COM(2026) 110 final}  
 
 
1. Introduction 

This  staff  working  document  accompanies  the  Communication  on  the  Strategy  on 
Intergenerational Fairness and provides a holistic overview of the procedure and results of the 
broad consultation process surrounding its development.  

It summarises the results of the call for evidence, which was open for contributions from 14 
October to 11 November 2025, contributions from the public from 25 February to 30 November 
2025 on the Citizens Engagement Platform, and the JRC-led co-creation process. It also 
provides an overview of the results of the European Citizens’ Panel on Intergenerational 
Fairness. 

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2. Call for Evidence 

A call for evidence on the strategy on intergenerational fairness was published in all 24 EU 
languages on the Commission’s Have Your Say portal1 on 14 October 2025.  

The  consultation  invited  all  interested  parties  to  share  their  views,  including  policy  makers 
from  all  governance  levels,  non-governmental  and  civil  society  organisations,  researchers 
across the field, as well as the general public and any parties affected by, or with an interest in, 
intergenerational fairness.  

The aim was to collect their thoughts and ideas to feed into the reflection process that led to 
the drafting of the strategy on intergenerational fairness.  

Figure 1. Graph by category of respondents.  
Source: Call for evidence on strategy on intergenerational fairness 

The call for evidence remained open for four weeks and closed on 11 November 2025, During 
this time, it received a total of 106 contributions, of which 28 came from EU citizens, 46 from 
NGOs,  3  from  public  authorities,  9  from  business  associations,  5  from  environmental 
organisations, 3 from academic/research institutions, 2 from companies/businesses, and 2 from 
consumer organisations.  

1 Call for evidence: strategy on intergenerational fairness 

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Figure 2. Graph by country of respondents.  
Source: Call for evidence on "Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness" 

Participants of 21 different nationalities responded to the call for evidence. Respondents from 
Belgium, Germany and France predominate, followed by the Netherlands, Spain and Italy. Of 
the 21 nationalities, 18 were from EU Member States, alongside contributions from the United 
Kingdom, the United States and Switzerland. 

2.1 Overall feedback 

The 106 contributions received reveal a rich tapestry of perspectives from stakeholders across 
sectors. The feedback is supportive of the strategy on intergenerational fairness overall; there 
is  a  shared  call  for  a  holistic  approach  that  effectively  bridges  generational  divides  and 
addresses the complex realities of societal challenges across policies and ages. 

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Some contributions called for intergenerational fairness to become a guiding principle in EU 
policymaking, as today’s decisions shape tomorrow’s opportunities and too often the costs of 
inaction fall on young people, children and future generations. The EU should therefore embed 
a long-term  and foresight-based approach  in all policies, supported by specific mechanisms 
(such as intergenerational fairness impact assessments) to counter short-termism and ensure 
that a number of considerations are systematically integrated into decisions. Future generations 
must be recognised as holders of rights, while the actions of local authorities, civil society and 
communities remain central to delivering change on the ground. 

Other contributions said a strong focus on children and young people was essential, as they 
bear  disproportionate  impacts,  particularly  through  climate  harm.  Improving  the  transition 
from  education  to  the  labour  market,  strengthening  youth  participation  and  expanding 
opportunities  for  lifelong  and  intergenerational  learning,  including  through  volunteering, 
mentoring  and shared  community spaces,  were key elements  of a fairer  future, respondents 
said.  At  the  same  time,  some  contributions  urged  the  strategy  to  promote  the  rights  and 
contributions of older people and called for a dedicated action plan to fight age discrimination, 
ensure access to essential services for those not using digital tools and recognise the essential 
role of older generations in care, culture and community cohesion. 

Many contributions highlighted environmental integrity as the foundation of intergenerational 
fairness.  The EU should continue to  pursue consistent climate action aligned with the Paris 
Agreement, phase out  fossil fuels, and reduce harmful  chemicals  and pollution. Sustainable 
food systems, including support for organic farming, reduced meat consumption and accessible 
plant-based alternatives, would prove critical, alongside measures to revitalise rural areas and 
safeguard the EU’s agricultural sector, respondents said. 

The need for economic systems to evolve in order to support fairness between generations was 
also  mentioned  by  participants  in  the  process.  This  includes  addressing  resource  overuse, 
environmental degradation and inequality, all while ensuring transparency and responsibility. 
Although pensions, are a Member State competence, they remain central to intergenerational 
equity  and  require  sustainable  models  that  balance  solidarity,  financial  stability  and 
demographic  realities.  Strengthening  family-friendly  policies  and  supporting  parents, 
particularly mothers, would be essential to this balance, respondents said. 

Other  contributions  also  focussed  on  health  and  well-being  across  the  life  course  to  be 
prioritised.  Prevention  should  be  at  the  core  of  EU  action,  they  said,  from  tackling  chronic 
diseases  and  ensuring  support  for  autistic  people  and  those  with  disabilities,  to  promoting 
physical activity, combating sedentary lifestyles and supporting active ageing. Ensuring equal 
consumer rights online and offline will help protect those who face barriers in an increasingly 
digital world, respondents said 

Some calls also underlined the need for the strategy to embrace culture as a driver of cohesion, 
participation and democracy. Cultural heritage, libraries, community centres and the creative 
sector play a vital role in bringing generations together and fostering resilience, they said. 

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These examples of responses capture some of the very rich feedback gathered through the call 
for evidence. They reflect the high level of engagement and diversity of perspectives received, 
itself  a  result  of  intergenerational  fairness  being  understood  and  perceived  differently 
depending on the contributor’s background and expertise. 

3. Co-creation process 

To inform the development of the Strategy, the Joint Research Centre undertook a structured 
reflection process conducted in several phases. The first two phases, scoping and visioning, 
diverged to understand the framing and ensure all issues relevant to citizens and stakeholders 
were considered. The subsequent ideation and co-creation phases converged, narrowing those 
insights into specific policy ideas.  

The  design  process  employed  a  collaborative,  system-based  and  forward-looking  approach. 
Key methodological innovations included fostering international collaboration, breaking down 
siloed thinking and leveraging foresight and science. The process constituted a co-creation of 
policy  ideas.  It  took  place,  among  other  settings,  in  coalitions  that  brought  together 
Commission  services  with  external  experts  representing  a  wide  range  of  ages,  geographies, 
disciplines,  and  knowledge  (around  200  people  in  the  coalitions,  and  around  500  people  in 
total).  

The participants  established a unified  framework for intergenerational  fairness  and outlined 
visions  for  its  implementation  within  the  EU,  identifying  necessary  pathways  and  changes. 
Their contributions have informed the Commission’s Communication work.  

The framework they developed emphasises safeguarding fundamental rights, ecosystems and 
wellbeing  across  generations,  allowing  each  generation  to  define  wellbeing  independently. 
Achieving  fairness  necessitates  long-term  thinking,  cross-generational  collaboration,  and 
empowering care for vulnerable populations, supported by governance transformation across 
key dimensions.  

Policymakers  should  prioritise  long-term  goals,  integrate  them  into  adaptable  actions,  and 
enhance responsiveness through policy pilots and assessments. Institutional accountability and 
guiding  principles  are  critical  for  embedding  fairness  and  fostering  trust  and  citizen 
engagement.  This  enables  regenerative  policies  that  redefine  wellbeing,  promote  equitable 
prosperity,  and  foster  inclusive  communities,  while  emphasising  ecological  integrity  and 
resilience to guide societal transitions and maintain cohesion. 

Further details can be found on the dedicated website2. 

2 Intergenerational fairness - EU Policy Lab - European Commission 

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4. Citizens’ Engagement Platform 

As  part  of  the  co-creation  process  and  in  order  to  inform  the  design  of  the  strategy  on 
intergenerational  fairness,  a  multilingual  online  consultation  was  held,  using  the  Citizens’ 
Engagement Platform3. The process was open to all EU citizens, was structured in four phases 
(scoping  phase  –  vision  building  –  strategy  ideas  –  co-creation),  and  ran  from  February  to 
November 2025, in parallel with the JRC co-creation process. 

During  all  four  phases,  the  Citizens’  Engagement  Platform  gathered  a  wide  range  of 
contributions  from  across  the  EU,  reflecting  people’s  views  on  the  key  challenges  to 
intergenerational fairness and the concrete, innovative proposals they put forward to strengthen 
intergenerational dialogue and embed the interests of both present and future generations in 
EU  decision-making.  Between  25  February  and  30  November  2025,  the  platform  recorded 
strong levels of engagement, with 354 041 page views, 215 000 visitors, 179 contributions, 132 
comments,  and  323  endorsements.  This  demonstrates  active  participation  and  meaningful 
interaction on the issues and opportunities shaping intergenerational fairness. 

The contributions that received the most endorsement call for the following an EU action plan 
to  combat  ageism,  in  order  to  address  age  discrimination  and  promote  intergenerational 
fairness;  the  establishment  of  cross-sectoral,  long-term,  and  participatory  governance  to 
balance  the  interests  of  current  and  future  generations;  reforms  to  the  economic  system  to 
deliver intergenerational justice; and the development of an EU action plan for both inter- and 
intra-generational flourishing. 

An analysis of the 179 contributions submitted by EU citizens allows for their categorisation 
into four broader dimensions: 

•  Social cohesion and inclusion 
•  Democracy and governance 
•  Environmental and socio-economic sustainability 
•  Care and education systems 

Broadly, the first dimension, social cohesion and inclusion, consists of contributions calling 
for  improved  intergenerational  relations  through  the  promotion  of  dialogue  and  solidarity 
between generations, as well as measures to combat ageism and other forms of discrimination 
to ensure equality and social cohesion.  

The second dimension, democracy and governance, covers contributions advocating greater 
participation and representation of all generations in democratic systems. It also includes calls 
to strengthen long-term and intergenerational decision-making across all policy areas. 

third  dimension,  environmental  and  socio-economic  sustainability, 

includes 
The 
contributions  highlighting  climate  change  as  a  central  challenge  to  the  achievement  of  an 
intergenerationally  fair  future  and  exploring  ways  to  foster  forward-looking  economic 

3 Intergenerational Fairness - Citizens’ Engagement Platform 

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behaviour.  These  contributions  also  emphasise  the  importance  of  sustainable  youth 
employment and of ensuring decent living conditions for all. 

The  fourth  dimension,  care  and  education  systems,  groups  together  recommendations 
underlining  the  importance  of  providing  public  services,  such  as  care  and  education  in 
upholding intergenerational fairness, with a focus on integrated care and support systems and 
equal access to high-quality education. 

Overall, the consultation through the Citizens’ Engagement Platform underscores the need for 
a more equitable, sustainable and cohesive EU that empowers all generations to tackle the key 
challenges  to  intergenerational  fairness.  These  challenges  include  short-term  thinking, 
exclusion  and  inequality,  and  limited  intergenerational  solidarity.  Participants  consistently 
linked  specific  policy  areas  to  broader  societal  objectives,  stressing  that  social  cohesion, 
environmental  and  socio-economic  sustainability,  inclusive  and  long-term  governance,  and 
access to high-quality public services must be pursued in an integrated manner to secure a fair 
and sustainable future for both current and future generations. 

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5. European Citizens’ Panel 

Building  on  the  final  recommendations  of  the  Conference  on  the  Future  of  Europe,  the 
European Commission reaffirmed, in the 17 June 2022 Communication “Putting Vision into 
Concrete  Action”4,  its  commitment  to  establish  citizens’  panels  that  would  deliberate  and 
provide recommendations in advance of certain key policy proposals. This approach reflects 
the Commission’s broader ambition to embed public participation more systematically into the 
EU’s policymaking process. 

The European Citizens’ Panel on Intergenerational Fairness5 was organised by the Directorate-
General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture together with the Joint Research Centre and 
the Directorate General  for Communication between 12 September 2025 and 16 November 
2025. The citizen’s panel was convened as part of the preparatory work for the forthcoming 
strategy on  intergenerational  fairness.  Over three weekends, the  panel  brought  together 150 
randomly selected citizens from all 27 Member States, ensuring a diverse and inclusive cross-
section of EU society, with the task of answering the following remit question: 

What should we do today to make the European Union fair for all current and future 
generations? 

The question was approached from two main angles:  

How can we ensure that decisions taken today do no harm to future generations while 
respecting the interests of both present and future generations? 

How can we strengthen communication, solidarity, and engagement between generations? 

As  a  result  of  this  process,  the  participating  citizens  submitted  24  recommendations  to  the 
European Commission on 16 November 20256. 

5.1 The Panel 

The panel assembled a diverse range of individuals in terms of gender, age, socio-economic 
background,  attitudes  towards  the  EU,  educational  background  and  regional  origin. 
Participants were selected through a democratic lottery using a door-to-door approach to ensure 
that every EU citizen had an equal chance of being invited. Participants met over three sessions 
between September and November: on 14–16 September and 14–16 November in person in 
Brussels, and on 17–19 October online. 

As  support  for  their  deliberations,  participants  were  provided  with  information  materials, 
professional moderators and facilitators, input from Commission experts, and guidance from a 

4 EUR-Lex - 52022DC0404 - EN - EUR-Lex 
5 Citizens' Panel on Intergenerational Fairness - Citizens’ Engagement Platform 
6 Recommendations from the Citizens Panel on Intergenerational Fairness 

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‘knowledge committee’ of external experts. Through plenary and working group discussions, 
they developed ideas and principles to inform the strategy on intergenerational fairness. 

The panel’s deliberations focused on identifying key challenges and opportunities to ensure 
fairness between generations. People exchanged ideas and perspectives on how to address these 
challenges, which were consolidated into an introductory statement with a list of five principles 
and  24  final  recommendations,  presented  on  16  November  2025  to  Glenn  Micallef, 
Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport. 

5.2 The Recommendations 

While  developing  the  recommendations  over  the  course  of  the  three  weekends,  citizens 
demonstrated  a  strong  commitment  to  the  task  and  engaged  in  thoughtful  and  constructive 
exchanges, despite the complexity of the subject. For many, it was both their first experience 
with  participatory  democracy  and  their  first  direct  involvement  in  a  European  Commission 
initiative. Despite the group’s diversity, participants converged on a shared set of expectations 
and aspirations around the strategy on intergenerational fairness and in relation to the EU more 
broadly. 

The  panel’s  24  recommendations  adopt  a  forward-looking  perspective  and  identify  key 
challenges that the participants consider must be addressed most urgently for the EU to be fair 
for both current and future generations. Seven recommendations place particular emphasis on 
education, underlining its central role in promoting an intergenerationally fair future. These 
recommendations  address  a  wide  range  of  issues,  including  improving  lifelong  learning 
opportunities,  embedding  civic  education  in  school  curricula,  funding  learning  initiatives 
between  young  and  older  generations,  ensuring  access  to  high-quality  education  for  all, 
promoting  healthy,  nutritious  and  sustainable  diets,  strengthening  crisis  resilience,  and 
addressing the societal impacts of AI. 

The  horizontal  nature  of  intergenerational  fairness  is  reflected  in  the  breadth  of  the 
recommendations, which cover a wide range of policy areas beyond education. As such, the 
panel members highlighted the need for fair and affordable housing, including the expansion 
of  social  housing  and  other  measures  to  ease  pressure  on  the  housing  market.  They  also 
emphasised  the  importance  of  improving  political  representation  for  all  generations,  with 
particular attention to youth and future generations, as well as establishing boundaries for AI, 
ensuring responsible access to the technology, mitigating technological risks and developing 
AI capacities. Environmental issues were also prominent, with calls for clean energy for all, 
the creation of an EU-level environmental accountability committee and strengthened support 
for sustainable farming. 

Remaining recommendations touched on the need for food security, the preservation of peace 
and increased EU defence capabilities, the strengthening of European identity, a harmonised 
tax equity system across borders, fair and sustainable pension systems across Member States, 
and the need to ensure equal access, sustainable funding, cooperation and knowledge exchange 
in public health systems. 

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5.3 Next Steps 

The  recommendations  gathered  form  participants  through  the  European  Citizens’  Panel  on 
Intergenerational Fairness converged strongly on three messages: (i) that decisions should be 
assessed  for  their  long-term  consequences  and  fairness  across  all  age  groups;  (ii)  that 
opportunities must be strengthened across the life course, including through education, skills 
and dignified living conditions; and (iii) that intergenerational cohesion depends on places and 
institutions that enable connection, participation and trust. The principles outlined by the panel 
also called for a renewed intergenerational contract where each generation carries both moral 
and practical responsibilities towards others, to protect dignity, create opportunities and ensure 
stability  for  all  present  and  future  generations.  These  inputs  informed  the  strategy’s  three 
dimensions of fair policymaking, fair opportunities and fair places, as well as the subsequent 
framework showcasing intergenerationally fair policies promoted by the Commission.  

The  recommendations  also  informed  the  strategy’s  strong  long-term  governance  and  youth 
dimension,  intergenerational  learning  and  dialogue,  housing  affordability  and  community 
cohesion,  and human-centred management of the digital and green transitions.  Some of the 
panel’s  recommendations  called  for  measures  that  go  beyond  EU  competence.  Here,  the 
strategy invites the European Parliament and the Council of the EU to consider, within their 
respective  roles,  how  intergenerational  aspects  can  be  further  taken  into  account  in 
policymaking. EU Member States are encouraged to continue embedding long-term thinking 
in public decision-making, in line with national contexts and competences and to increase the 
awareness of various aspects of intergenerational fairness. 

the  value  of 

Citizens  highlighted 
learning  and  exchange  across  generations 
(recommendations A, B and V). The strategy responds by promoting intergenerational dialogue 
and  partnerships  with  local  institutions  such  as  libraries,  museums,  community  centres  and 
sports  organisations.  The  Commission  also  wants  to  support  possible  actions  under  the 
recommendations  on  learning  without  age:  inspiring  connection,  empathy  and  shared 
knowledge  across  generations,  and  improving  political  education  for  all  generations 
(recommendations  A and G), in  particular by boosting  citizens' engagement  and supporting 
participation in democratic life through participatory and consultative tools. 

The  citizens’  recommendation  on  bridging  nations,  celebrating  cultures:  the  path  to  a 
stronger  European  identity  (recommendation  B)  is  acknowledged  within  the  strategy’s 
proposed  action  to  promote  intergenerational  cultural  exchange  and  inclusion  through  the 
Culture Compass for Europe. The publishing of the Longevity Roadmap will support the 
mapping of age-specific policy issues for all age groups. 

With the strategy on intergenerational fairness, the Commission also aims to mainstream and 
further embed the use of strategic foresight across governance levels. Through proposed actions 
such as building futures literacy in public administrations across Member States, and the 
reinforced use of strategic foresight in policymaking, the Commission seeks to encourage 
the  institutionalisation  and  strengthening  of  the  ability  of  institutions  to  proactively  tackle 
ongoing challenges and megatrends. By doing so, it aims to address several cross-cutting issues 

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put  forward  via  the  citizens’  recommendations  in  a  horizontal  and  systemic  way,  from 
considerations  related  to  sustainability  and  the  use  of  AI,  to  the  way  we  conceptualise  our 
public health systems (recommendations C, D, E, F, O, P, W and X). 

Furthermore, linked to recommendation H (improving and balancing the representation of 
all  generations  in the  political  system),  the  Commission  confirms  its  commitment  to  the 
Commission  Youth  Check.  The  Commission  will  strengthen  the  intergenerational  fairness 
dimension in EU youth policy and create meaningful and proportionate opportunities for youth 
to contribute to policy discussions that shape their future. 

The  Commission  also  welcomes  the ideas reflected  in  the  recommendation  on  the  local 
intergenerational pact to unite generations (recommendation V) to enable intergenerational 
participation and seeks to support these by launching the Voices of the Future initiative, which 
was already announced in the European Democracy Shield initiative and will be implemented 
in collaboration with the Committee of the Regions. Related to this, the Commission will share 
best practices through an EU-level repository of initiatives related to intergenerational fairness 
on local and regional level. 

Beyond  the  actions  included  within  the  strategy,  it  should  be  noted  that  the  panel's 
recommendations also overlap with broader Commission action, both ongoing and prospective.  

in  particular  ensuring 

For  example,  an  overarching  priority  highlighted  by  the  panel  was  the  importance  of 
education, 
learning 
inclusive, 
(recommendations A, K and R). In this regard, the Commission has put forward the Union of 
Skills, which aims to ensure that our education and training systems have the right tools to 
prepare Europeans of all generations. The Commission will continue its action with a dedicated 
education  package,  including  a  Basic  Skills  Support  Scheme  and  a  Teachers  and  Trainers 
Action Plan. 

lifelong  and 

job-oriented 

Panel members also underlined the importance of sustainable food & farming and of food 
security  (recommendations  C,  D  and  F).  Building  on  the  Communication  on  a  Vision  for 
Agriculture and Food, the Commission will introduce a new livestock strategy, update rules to 
tackle unfair trading practices in the food chain and will launch a new “buy European” food 
campaign. It will also follow-up on the strategy for generational renewal in agriculture. As for 
the  call  to  strengthen  EU  defence  capabilities  (recommendation  E),  the  Commission  is 
actively  seeking  to  address  capability  gaps  and  strengthen  the  EU  defence  industry.  It  has 
already  launched  the  SAFE  instrument  to  speed  up  major  investments  and  will  this  year 
propose a simplification of defence and security procurement rules. 

Housing also featured in the discussions of the citizens’ panel, with recommendations calling 
for  affordable  and  dignified  living  for  all  (recommendations  I  and  J).  A  dedicated  housing 
package was put forward by the Commission on 16 December 2025, aimed at boosting supply, 
mobilising investment, driving reforms and protecting those most concerned. In the package, 
the  Commission  detailed  its  future  action,  which  will  include  an  Affordable  Housing  Act, 
including a central component on short term rentals  and a Construction Services Act. 

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The Commission is planning a feedback event to inform the participants of the citizens’ panel 
about the follow-up to their recommendations. 

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