About us

The Future Generations Initiative is a coalition of civil society organizations promoting the rights of Future Generations in the European Union. We work for an EU that has a long-term perspective and that ensures that all decisions are taken with Future Generations in mind.

Why do we campaign for

Future Generations?

What Do We Ask for?

1. An EU Commissioner responsible for Future Generations

We have successfully campaigned for the establishment of an EU commissioner who is responsible for ensuring that all decisions are taken with Future Generations in mind. Building on the inspiration of several member states in the EU, Glenn Micallef is the first to represent Future Generations in the College of Commissioners. The new commissioner has a horizontal mandate to ensure a long-term perspective in all decisions and uses Strategic Foresight as a key tool to spark constructive discussions about the future.

2. Develop an interinstitutional declaration on the rights of Future Generations.

The EU’s primary law acknowledges solidarity towards Future Generations, but lacks developed legal obligations. An inter-institutional Declaration involving the European Parliament, Council of the EU, and European Commission can provide a robust framework that guarantees the protection and advancement of the rights of Future Generations, while also including commitments of the three institutions to incorporate protections for Future Generations into legal frameworks and policies. Future generations rely on us to live in a Europe fit for them. Our legacy is what we create for the future.

3. Set up a Future Generations’ Impact Assessment within the Better Regulation Guidelines.

We call for the review and amendment of Better Regulation Guidelines to include intergenerational justice as a key principle for any law-making. The principle of solidarity towards Future Generations should mean that the burden of either the mitigation of any threat or the adaptation to any unavoidable pressures is not to be offloaded unilaterally to generations yet to come. Transformational policies have to serve the long-term interests of the European Citizens including Future Generations and should avoid creating harmful path-dependencies for them.