European Commission Unveils Intergenerational Fairness Strategy

European Commission Unveils Intergenerational Fairness Strategy

On 5 March 2026, the European Commission unveiled the Intergenerational Fairness Strategy. The Strategy aligns with global efforts for a long-term approach in planning and policies, such as in the UN Declaration on Future Generations. It is shaped around the concept of an ‘Intergenerational Contract’, built on a threefold foundation:

• Fair policymaking, by applying a ‘youth check’ and foresight tools;
• Fair opportunities, to address the risk of age discrimination;
• Fair places, so that the region you are born in doesn’t define your future.

It adopts a long-term perspective, looking at how complex challenges, such as demographic change, geopolitical shifts, labour market changes, climate change, digitalisation and artificial intelligence among many others, affect both present and future generations. Notably, it underlines how:

• Disadvantaged groups experience additional difficulties requiring an intersectional approach. Young people with disabilities often struggle when moving into adulthood due to weak pathways between education and employment. Nevertheless, the strategy fails to highlight the barriers experienced by older people with disabilities (as described in projects in which EPR participates, such as G.O.L.D and Particip.AGE).
• Older people, too, are facing a transformed horizon of opportunities shaped by longer, healthier lives, but also more long-term care needs and poverty risks in later life. Their ability to stay active, secure, and connected varies sharply. Particularly for women, inequalities accumulated over the life course translate into higher risk of poverty and financial insecurity. Many older people wish to continue contributing to society and the labour market but are impeded by rapid digitalisation, which risk excluding those with lower digital skills.

To achieve this goal, the Strategy sets out a number of actions, including: 

• Intergenerational Fairness Index to identify opportunities and gaps, inform policy decisions and promote fairness across generations;
• Multilingual Future Oriented Policymaking package to support the development of future literacy in public administrations across EU Member States;
• Organising a demography forum to exchange on demographic developments;
• Voices of the Future initiative to be launched in partnership with the Committee of the Regions, inviting local and regional authorities to engage in shaping their regions’ future.

More information on the Intergenerational Fairness Strategy available here.