ESPAS – at the heart of EU foresight

Pattern of several interviewers

About ESPAS

The European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS) is an inter-institutional EU process promoting foresight and anticipatory governance. It brings together nine EU institutions and bodies who are committed to thinking longer term about the challenges and opportunities facing Europe and, through foresight, to support policy-makers to make the right policy choices.

We live in an era of rapid and sometimes frightening change, and of growing complexity and uncertainty. Stability, prosperity and democracy are no longer a given. To meet the expectations of citizens and communities, responsible governance is necessary to help prepare better for the future, mitigate major risks and build up capabilities. This is where strategic foresight comes into its own.

In times of increasingly rapid change, growing complexity and critical uncertainty, responsible anticipatory governance is vital to preparing for the unexpected. Strategic Foresight is required whenever there is a high degree of uncertainty surrounding changes to the relevant future context. By mainstreaming foresight techniques and processes in policy-making, Europe can make informed choices about the future and the lives and well-being of its citizens.

In the decade or so since it was established, ESPAS has led the way in forging a new culture of foresight in the EU. Many ESPAS partner organisations have developed their own foresight capacity as they came to see the benefits of using this for better policy-making.

ESPAS is currently engaged in a number of exciting, forward-looking projects, drawing on the collective talent from amongst its members. These include:

  • A major Global Trends Report, due for publication in 2024.
  • A new horizon scanning project identifying 'weak signals' of change.
  • A new international dialogue on foresight to compare analysis of global trends and their potential implications for policy-making.
  • An Annual Conference bringing together political figures and experts from around the world.
  • A 'Young Talent Network' to develop foresight literacy amongst young professionals in the EU.
  • A series of Ideas Papers to stimulate discussion on the future across the policy spectrum.
  • A 'European Foresight' podcast series (beginning in May 2023).

Enjoy browsing our website. For more information on ESPAS activities and foresight in the European Union, please contact us at ESPAS.Secretariat@europarl.europa.eu.

Foresight is much more about shaping the future than predicting it.

image for the ESPAS 2022 conference

2023 ESPAS Annual Conference

"Building Europe's Future: Time for Strategic Choices."

European foresight days

Tuesday 14 November 2023

The European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS) was held on Tuesday 14 November. As in previous years, it was co-hosted by the European Commission and the European Parliament.

At a time when an illegal and unprovoked war continues to rage on European soil and ahead of the next EU institutional cycle, this year’s 11th ESPAS annual conference focused on the key global trends at the crossroads of geopolitics, the environment, technology, the economy, and democracy. We debated, inter alia, the growing linkages between stability, security and the economy, the global tech race and future social, economic and environmental fairness, and digital technologies and their impact on democracy. We also mapped the related strategic choices for Europe in the period to 2040.

This year’s conference "Building Europe's future: time for strategic choices" will be a stepping stone in the journey towards the fourth ESPAS Global Trends Report, due to be published in February 2024. We hope this conference will help to shape the public debate in the lead-up to the European Parliament elections in 2024, and offer citizens a forward-looking perspective for Europe.

Please get in touch if you have any questions ESPAS.Secretariat@europarl.europa.eu.

ESPAS Annual Conference, 14 November 2023

Building Europe's Future: Time for Strategic Choices

Building Europe's Future

What will power look like in 2040? Fragmentation and power shifts

Globalisation and deglobalisation: the future of economic power

Conference 2023 – Some visual takeaways

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Foresight publications

More foresight publications

About ESPAS

An Inter-institutional EU Project

The European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS) is an inter-institutional EU process promoting foresight and anticipatory governance. It brings together nine EU institutions and bodies who are committed to thinking longer term about the challenges and opportunities facing Europe and, through foresight, to support policy-makers to make the right policy choices.

About ORBIS

The first global foresight hub

ORBIS is the world's largest library of prospective studies at your fingertips. Read, learn and contemplate a wide variety of topics that concern you and the rest of the world's citizens.

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