European Citizens' Panel on Intergenerational Fairness

The European Citizens’ Panels of the European Commission were created following the Conference on the Future of Europe (2021–2022). This event brought together 800 citizens from across the EU, who came up with 178 recommendations. These in turn inspired 49 concrete proposals and more than 300 related actions. A strong message emerged: citizens want to be more involved in European decision-making.

Over the past two years, a new generation of citizens’ panels has been used to explore topics such as food waste, virtual worlds, energy efficiency, and combating hate speech. The most recent one, which we supported, focused on an essential issue: preparing the EU’s future multiannual budget so that it reflects the ambitions of its citizens.

In the next three months, citizens from different backgrounds will meet to reflect together on Europe’s future in terms of fairness between generations. This panel will invite everyone to consider how to build a livable, fair, and just world for both present and future generations. It will also provide space for collective reflection on generational stereotypes, on how to design policies that are fair to all age groups, and on how to ensure that all voices are represented.

Here is how the panel will be organized:

• First session in Brussels (12–14 September): getting to know each other and the process, gaining a better understanding of the topic, and starting to reflect together on what a fairer Europe could look like.

• Second session online (17–19 October): hearing from experts, deliberating and defining priorities, and beginning to develop concrete ideas and proposals.

• Third and final session in Brussels (14–16 November): finalizing recommendations and citizens’ proposals.

A committee of experts, with diverse backgrounds, will support the citizens throughout the process. They will provide information and insights, and help ensure that discussions remain clear and accessible despite the complexity of the topic.