Towards Green Deal 2.0 with the support of strategic foresight

Which are the main barriers faced by local and regional authorities in the implementation of the European Green Deal? What are the main missing elements of the Green Deal and how it should be improved to help cities and regions advance towards climate-neutrality and support the wellbeing of Europeans? These were some of the questions the CoR's Green Deal Going Local Working Group discussed on 15 November as part of a strategic foresight exercise supported by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC).

In an innovative approach, members were using the Scenario Exploration System methodology developed by the JRC to respond to two contrasting future scenarios, playing the roles of EU or national policy makers, businesses or civil society representatives. The results of the exercise will be analysed and communicated to the European Commission, which has integrated strategic foresight as a key element of its work to strengthen evidence-based and anticipatory policymaking.

"The current EU legislative mandate will end in less than a year and we can proudly say that the EU has set a clear and ambitious climate agenda with the European Green Deal and has, in order to reach it, adopted a wave of unprecedented legislation. At the same time, this is a key year to take stock of the progress the EU has made so far, to identify the missing elements of the European Green Deal and to improve it in order to become a real compass for the wellbeing of Europeans. Today's strategic foresight exercise will make a valuable contribution to our reflection on this new phase of the future Green Deal, which must be inclusive and fair for all", said ENVE Commission 1st Vice-Chair Kata Tüttö, Deputy Mayor of Budapest.

Strategic foresight provides the EU with the tools to plan for an uncertain future, anticipate challenges, and design policies and strategies that are resilient and adaptable. It plays a fundamental role in the successful implementation of the European Green Deal and in shaping its future orientations (Green Deal 2.0). The European Commission's 2023 Strategic Foresight Report includes a strong focus on the European Green Deal ambitions.