Strategic Foresight Report 2022

Key points

The EESC:

• Encourages the EC to continue developing the strategic foresight agenda, and calls for increased involvement in the process from the very beginning. Greater involvement for the EESC, as the voice of the social partners and organised civil society, would enhance the EU's analysis and foresight capacities and help to pinpoint trends and possible solutions.
• Calls the strategic foresight agenda, and the EC's action, to gear towards a new development model that takes due account of economic, environmental and social sustainability.
• Calls to take into account following strategic policy areas in upcoming foresight exercises:
• The supply systems and the resilience of Europe's agri-food sector.
• A strong, cohesive, and innovative European industrial system that is capable of generating quality jobs.
• The need for strategic energy autonomy and to support businesses and workers following on from what was done during the pandemic crisis.
• Set out a clearer picture of the risks and analyse the scenarios in the event that the desired objectives are not met, especially on the availability of raw materials, rare earth metals, water resources and possible related issues.
• Acknowledges that the Russia's military aggression against Ukraine, the energy crisis and the new economic and geopolitical reality will have an impact on the path towards the twin transitions.
• Welcomes the increased references to the social dimension and, as previously stated in its 2021 opinion, calls to develop forecasting tools relating to the impact of the transitions on social security systems, and propose measures to mitigate the social effects of the twin transitions.
• Believes that the EU needs to stand by its values and to continue working together with third countries, strengthening the common external policy, looking for common solutions and ensuring that our cooperation and trade are beneficial to the economic and social rights of the peoples of those countries, in view of long-term sustainability.

For more information, please contact the INT Section Secretariat