ESPAS 2025 Annual Conference
Europe towards 2040: Charting a course in a new era of conflict and competition
13 November 2025 in Brussels, Belgium
The European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS) will host its 12th Annual Conference in Brussels, co-organized by the European Commission and the European Parliament.
At a time of upheaval and growing uncertainty, this year’s conference will focus on the long-term strategic choices Europe faces as it looks ahead to 2040. While policymakers grapple with multiple overlapping crises requiring short-term responses, foresight is increasingly vital to build resilience, anticipate shocks, and chart pathways for a more secure and sustainable Europe.
Themes
Speakers and participants will address some of the defining challenges shaping Europe’s future:
Technology: Harnessing AI and other transformative technologies
Geopolitics: Europe’s place in a shifting world order
Democracy: Revitalising European democracy and countering authoritarian drift
Intergenerational fairness: Building a future that works across generations
Together, decision-makers, civil society leaders, experts, and foresight practitioners will explore possible scenarios for Europe’s trajectory to 2040 and identify strategies to “stay the course” in an era of disruption.
About ESPAS
The European Strategy and Policy Analysis System is the EU’s inter-institutional foresight process, bringing together nine institutions and bodies to strengthen anticipatory governance. Since its creation in the early 2010s, ESPAS has been instrumental in embedding foresight across EU policymaking, from horizon scanning and foresight papers to the annual high-level conference.
ESPAS provides a unique platform where foresight meets policy, helping Europe prepare for shocks, mitigate risks, and seize opportunities—shaping rather than predicting the future.
To contact the ESPAS Secretariat: ESPAS.Secretariat@europarl.europa.eu