Local and regional authorities have a key role to play in ensuring that public policies take the interests of future generations into account, Jelena Drenjanin, Councillor of Huddinge Municipality (Sweden) and the European Committee of the Regions' Foresight Coordinator, said at a CoR Foresight Talk featuring Sophie Howe, the world's first Future Generations Commissioner for Wales.
The event, entitled "Governing with future generations in mind", explored how public institutions can integrate long-term thinking into policymaking and make today's decisions more attentive to their impact on future generations.
Opening the discussion, Ms Drenjanin highlighted that many of the challenges facing Europe today require policymakers to look beyond short-term political and administrative cycles.
"In March this year, the European Commission presented its first Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness. This is an important step at European level. But the success of this agenda will depend on implementation. It will depend on whether long-term thinking becomes part of real decision-making and not only part of strategic documents," she said.
She stressed that cities and regions are already leading by example through long-term strategies, investments in sustainable infrastructure and resilience-building measures designed to benefit both current and future residents. "Local and regional authorities are developing policies that shape communities for decades. This is where intergenerational fairness becomes tangible and where long-term thinking must be translated into action," Ms Drenjanin noted.
Referring to the Committee of the Regions' work on strategic foresight, she underlined the importance of anticipatory governance in helping policymakers navigate uncertainty and prepare for future challenges. "Foresight is not about predicting the future. It is about exploring possible futures, identifying emerging risks and opportunities, and helping decision-makers act with greater responsibility today. It encourages us to look beyond immediate pressures, beyond administrative silos and beyond electoral cycles," she said.
Drenjanin also emphasised the strong link between foresight and intergenerational fairness. "Intergenerational fairness asks whose interests we consider when making decisions. Foresight helps us understand the long-term consequences of those decisions. The two belong together."
The CoR has actively supported the intergenerational fairness agenda and continues to strengthen its foresight activities through expert discussions, workshops and exchanges between cities, regions and European institutions. The objective is to ensure that local and regional perspectives are fully reflected in Europe's long-term policymaking.
The keynote speaker, Sophie Howe, shared lessons from her experience as Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, where she worked to ensure that public bodies integrated long-term considerations into policymaking and delivery. Her work has inspired similar initiatives internationally and contributed to a growing global debate on how governments can better represent the interests of future generations.
The discussion formed part of the CoR Foresight Talks series, which brings together experts, policymakers and stakeholders to promote future-oriented governance and strengthen strategic foresight across Europe.