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In December 2025, the European Commission published a communication entitled Strengthening EU economic security as a follow-up to its 2023 economic security strategy. Economic developments – whether related to trade, investment or industry – are increasingly viewed through the lens of security. From a foresight perspective, this development can be analysed as the result of three overlapping and partly reinforcing trends. The first is the weakening of a value-based approach to the economy, as exemplified ...

The European Union's competitiveness and prosperity depends on an optimal allocation of resources, particularly savings, within the single market, yet EU capital markets remain fragmented. EU rules are mostly set out through directives, leaving Member States' supervisory authorities latitude in their interpretation and application of the rules. Therefore, although rules are enacted at EU level, the resulting uneven supervisory environment is considered a major cause of fragmentation of EU capital ...

This briefing examines the role of biomethane and bioethanol in Europe’s energy transition, focusing on where these fuels are produced, their end-uses, and how policy frameworks shape their uptake. Biomethane, a renewable gas that can be injected into existing gas grids and is mainly used in heating and transport, and bioethanol, a renewable liquid fuel with a relevant role in road transport and industrial applications, rely on different feedstocks, technologies and infrastructures. Yet, both offer ...

During its February session, the European Parliament is expected to vote on a report containing a series of recommendations aimed at combating poverty and social exclusion across the EU. The report is intended to contribute to the policy debate ahead of the publication of the European Commission's new EU anti-poverty strategy, announced in the Commission work programme for the second quarter of 2026.

This European implementation assessment supports the European Parliament's implementation report on the EU Youth Strategy (EUYS) 2019-2027 prepared by the European Parliament's Committee on Culture and Education (CULT). Part I of this study examines recent European Commission developments on the EUYS, Parliament's oversight of the EUYS, and the results of consultations. Part II of the study examines EUYS implementation at the EU level and in six selected Member States, drawing on the most recent ...

The circular economy aims to break away from the traditional linear 'take make use dispose' model by keeping resources in circulation for as long as possible. Its goal is twofold: to lower environmental pressures and increase economic resilience by reducing reliance on virgin materials and unstable global supply chains. Against this backdrop, the planned circular economy act (CEA) must address several structural challenges currently at the centre of the EU policy debate.

A number of stakeholders have warned that civic space in Europe is shrinking, with civil society organisations (CSOs) facing a growing range of threats, from attacks on their staff to smear and disinformation campaigns. Against this backdrop, the Commission proposes a strategy to protect CSOs, focusing on three main pillars: strengthening effective engagement with CSOs as partners in governance; supporting and protecting CSOs; and ensuring long-term, predictable and sufficient financing. The strategy ...

The Commission's proposal for the 2028-2034 Global Europe instrument seeks to ensure a more strategic approach, in line with the objectives of the EU's internal policies – particularly migration control, while taking on board EU and partner countries' mutual interests. It deeply restructures the EU's external financing architecture, introducing a new system of geographic pillars, a global pillar, and a flexible 'cushion', while integrating several existing instruments ranging from development cooperation ...

Drawing on lessons from the previous programming periods, and specifically from cohesion policy and the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the proposal for the 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework (MFF) aims to modify the current governance of EU funding. According to the European Commission, the changes should help establish a more flexible, policy-based budget aligned with EU strategic priorities. The 2014-2020 MFF first introduced ex-ante conditionalities in cohesion policy, replaced ...

The communication on the European Democracy Shield (EDS) aims to boost the protection of democracy against attacks, including from foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) and disinformation. Proposed actions reflect the EU's whole-of-society approach, with a new Centre for Democratic Resilience complementing a broad set of proposed actions across three key pillars.