GEYC took part in the European Citizens' Panel (ECP) on Intergenerational Fairness,
a unique citizen-driven process run by the European Commission that brought together 150 randomly
selected citizens from all 27 Member States between September and November 2025. The panel's aim
was to explore how the European Union can become fairer across generations — making choices today
that protect and empower present and future generations alike.
Over three weekends (12–14 September in Brussels; 17–19 October online; and 14–16 November in Brussels) participants examined how to build a narrative of solidarity across ages, how to balance immediate needs with long-term thinking, and how to convert ideas into concrete recommendations for the Commission and later policymaking. Recordings of the sessions were made available on each session date.
GEYC participated together with the PRISMA EU Network team as media / influencers guests: we shared the story of the panel with our audience, engaged in discussions with policymakers and Commission staff, and spoke directly with citizens to better understand their experience and proposals.
Over three weekends (12–14 September in Brussels; 17–19 October online; and 14–16 November in Brussels) participants examined how to build a narrative of solidarity across ages, how to balance immediate needs with long-term thinking, and how to convert ideas into concrete recommendations for the Commission and later policymaking. Recordings of the sessions were made available on each session date.
GEYC participated together with the PRISMA EU Network team as media / influencers guests: we shared the story of the panel with our audience, engaged in discussions with policymakers and Commission staff, and spoke directly with citizens to better understand their experience and proposals.
About the Panel
Purpose and ProcessThe European Commission invited citizens from all Member States to co-create the Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness, guided by Commissioner Glenn Micallef’s mandate to ensure that policy-making respects the interests of present and future generations. The panel worked through visions, concrete pathways and policy options, and produced a set of citizen-drafted recommendations that will feed into the Commission’s Strategy.
Timeline:
• 12–14 September 2025 — Session 1 (Brussels): introduction and first ideas.
• 17–19 October 2025 — Session 2 (online): refinement and first phase of recommendations.
• 14–16 November 2025 — Closing Session (Brussels): final recommendations and next steps for policymaking.
What GEYC and PRISMA EU Network did at the Panel
As invited media and influencer guests, the GEYC & PRISMA EU Network team:
• Reported from Brussels and online sessions, amplifying citizens' voices across our channels.
• Held discussions with European Commission staff, policymakers and participants to unpack proposals and expected impacts.
• Conducted interviews to surface practical insights — including an interview with Eva Hrncirova, spokesperson of the European Commission, on future skills, the job market, and how intergenerational fairness can respond to upcoming challenges.
• Reported from Brussels and online sessions, amplifying citizens' voices across our channels.
• Held discussions with European Commission staff, policymakers and participants to unpack proposals and expected impacts.
• Conducted interviews to surface practical insights — including an interview with Eva Hrncirova, spokesperson of the European Commission, on future skills, the job market, and how intergenerational fairness can respond to upcoming challenges.
Interview highlight — Eva Hrncirova (European Commission)
In our interview with Eva Hrncirova we discussed:
• The skills the EU will prioritise to meet a changing labour market (lifelong learning, digital and green skills, adaptability).
• How the labour market of the future can be shaped to be inclusive across generations, including policies to support re-skilling and easier mid-career transitions.
• Key challenges for the EU such as demographic shifts, digital transformation and climate pressures — and how a long-term, intergenerational perspective can make policy more resilient and fair.
• The skills the EU will prioritise to meet a changing labour market (lifelong learning, digital and green skills, adaptability).
• How the labour market of the future can be shaped to be inclusive across generations, including policies to support re-skilling and easier mid-career transitions.
• Key challenges for the EU such as demographic shifts, digital transformation and climate pressures — and how a long-term, intergenerational perspective can make policy more resilient and fair.
Citizens' Drafted Recommendations
The citizens drafted a set of recommendations across the three sessions.
Because the panel covered broad policy areas, the recommendations can be organised into clear thematic clusters. Below is an analytic summary and synthesis of the main themes that emerged across the citizens' proposals:
Because the panel covered broad policy areas, the recommendations can be organised into clear thematic clusters. Below is an analytic summary and synthesis of the main themes that emerged across the citizens' proposals:
Short thematic summary and priority actions suggested by citizens:
- Long-term policy frameworks: Citizens asked for mechanisms that embed long-term thinking across EU and national policies (impact assessments that explicitly account for future generations, horizon scanning and multi-decadal planning).
- Skills, education and lifelong learning: Recurrent recommendations included expanded access to re-skilling and up-skilling, stronger links between education and labour markets, and support for digital and green competencies for all ages.
- Jobs & labour market adaptation: Proposals to promote youth employment, smoother transitions between jobs and careers, incentives for businesses to hire across generations, and support for entrepreneurship.
- Intergenerational dialogue and civic participation: Calls for regular, structured spaces for exchange across age groups (local councils, mentoring programmes, participatory budgeting) so that policy-making draws on lived experience of multiple generations.
- Social protection and resilience: Suggestions to strengthen social safety nets so that pension systems, healthcare, and care services are sustainable and equitable across age groups.
- Climate and sustainability: Citizens highlighted the need for climate policies that do not burden future generations and that promote fair transitions (supporting workers in green transitions and preventing regional inequalities).
- Digital inclusion: Measures to ensure older and younger citizens alike can access digital public services and participate fully in civic and economic life.
How the Panel’s Outcomes Feed Policymaking
The Commission presented the panel members as co-creators of the Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness: citizens reviewed early policy proposals developed with experts and, after deliberation, provided the first citizen-led responses. The outcome will be a set of recommendations forwarded to the Strategy drafting process — an important step to ensure that the Strategy reflects lived realities and intergenerational priorities.
More from GEYC: coverage & next steps
GEYC documented the panel and gathered insights from the drafted recommendations. We shared an initial synthesis on LinkedIn where we collected reactions and key takeaways from citizens' proposals — you can read our commentary and the panel conclusion here:
GEYC LinkedIn — ECP: Intergenerational Fairness (insights & conclusions).
We will continue to follow how the Commission incorporates the recommendations into the formal Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness and report back on concrete policy follow-ups.
