Setting the Stage for Europe's Future Commissioner Glenn Micallef introduced the 2025 Strategic Foresight Report titled "Resilience 2.0: Empowering the EU to thrive amid turbulence and uncertainty." The report acts as a bridge between the previous Commission’s foresight work and the new mandate, embedding lessons from crises like the COVID-19 pandemic and focusing on transitioning from reactive crisis response to proactive, forward-looking resilience.
Key Elements and Challenges Highlighted Micallef emphasized the EU’s strengths in unified responses, scale, and rapid adaptability, citing examples like joint gas and vaccine purchases, and the SAFE and Next Generation EU instruments. The report situates resilience around three core EU aspirations by 2040: peace, values-based governance, and citizen well-being. It identifies three global developments impacting resilience—security concerns, shifts in the international order, and escalating climate-related economic losses. EU-specific challenges include economic competitiveness tied to strategic autonomy, technological mastery, societal resilience threatened by strain on the European social model, and defending democracy in a digital age.
Concrete Policy Directions and Stakeholder Implications The report proposes eight strategic areas, including boosting EU global vision, enhancing security, harnessing AI, economic resilience, and especially intergenerational fairness—a priority underscored by Micallef with upcoming citizen panels to shape future policy. These proposed directions suggest an increase in EU powers in security and technology governance, a balancing act between economic competitiveness and social welfare, and enhanced democratic oversight in digital spaces.
Implications for Stakeholders EU producers and technology sectors may face increased regulation and governance demands but gain from stronger strategic autonomy. EU consumers stand to benefit from resilience in supply and social protections, though may face transitional challenges amid economic adjustments. National authorities will need to coordinate closely with EU institutions to implement these foresight-based initiatives, potentially expanding EU oversight and reducing fragmentation. Civil society groups focused on democracy and social welfare may welcome the focus on democratic resilience and well-being but could seek clarity on implementation details.
Overall, the speech delivers a roadmap toward embedding foresight in EU policy, advocating for strengthened EU powers in strategic domains, balanced with societal well-being priorities, marking a shift toward a more proactive union as it confronts global uncertainties.
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