Leading political figures, civil society representatives, think tanks, policy experts and foresight practitioners will come together at this year’s ESPAS Annual Conference, “Europe 2040: What future for European security?”, on 3 November to discuss Europe’s future security and the strategic choices it faces towards 2040. The discussions will look at security in a broad sense, covering not only geopolitical challenges but also the societal, economic, environmental and technological changes shaping Europe’s future.
One of the key speakers will be Mr Emil Boc, former Prime Minister of Romania and CoR member, who will participate in the panel on societal resilience. The Mayor of Cluj-Napoca will bring the perspective of cities to the debate, addressing in particular the importance of cohesion and the challenges posed by climate change in urban areas. His participation will help underline the role of local and regional authorities in strengthening Europe’s capacity to anticipate, adapt to and respond to future challenges.
Co-hosted by the European Parliament and the European Commission, the conference will provide a platform for bringing strategic foresight and policymaking closer together. At a time of growing geopolitical uncertainty and rapid societal and technological change, the discussions will explore how Europe can better anticipate disruption, prepare for different possible futures and make more resilient policy choices today.
The CoR is a member of ESPAS, the European Strategy and Policy Analysis System, and contributes to its interinstitutional cooperation on strategic foresight, including by bringing a local and regional perspective into discussions on Europe’s long-term future.
The conference will be webstreamed live on the ESPAS website, allowing a wider audience to follow the discussions.