How can the EU tackle short-term thinking and avoid damaging generations to come? It is a long-standing criticism: politicians are focused on the here and now and are not accountable beyond their – relatively – short mandates.
A recent example of this short-sightedness is the backtracking by a group of MEPs regarding the EU regulation on deforestation pointing to the implementation costs without mentioning the long term benefits. Besides that, the EUDR has already been adopted for a while and (most) companies have been preparing for the implementation to be compliant by the end of 2024.
In this context, it is noteworthy that a group of MEPs recently co-signed an open letter calling for the prioritizing future generations in the next policy cycle. The letter is supported by MEPs from the EPP, S&D, Renew and the Greens. The signatories present a number of ideas on how to protect the future generations at EU level. For instance, through an EU Declaration on the Rights of Future Generations which would prevent future generations to be saddled with the burden of crises caused by the current generation. It is worth noting that one of the MEPs is a fierce opponent of the EUDR, which points to differences of opinion on the interest of future generations in this environmental issue.
Another proposal is to include a study of the long-term consequences of legislation in the impact assessment by the European Commission. Unfortunately, the focus of the current impact assessment is on the economic dimension and on the short term consequences, e.g. on companies and SMEs.
Such an impact assessment for future generations or ‘Generation Test’ has been applied before in the Netherlands as part of three pilot projects: the National Insulation Programme, the Dutch Climate Fund, and the Dutch National Grow Fund. The results allowed to take into account the social, economic and environmental impact in the short-term (the first 10 years) and on the long-term (30+ years).
Most importantly, these MEPs call for a new position for an EU Commissioner for Future Generations who would have the challenging task to look after the interests of future generations ‘as crucial stakeholders in our democracy’. Based on a horizontal mandate, the Commissioner would help shape the political discourse in several policy areas for the benefit of future generations.
Wales was the first country in the world to create a similar position: "The [Welsh] Future Generations Commissioner (…) provides advice and support on sustainable development, encourages government and public bodies to take a longer term view of policy decisions, and protects and promotes the needs of future generations."
The current generation of young people is increasingly aware that their interests are on the line, especially regarding environmental, climate and sustainability policies. The Youth Climate Coalition in the Netherlands, which AxHA supports, is an excellent example of young people with different political affiliations and from different sectors are getting united to push for more future-friendly policies around these issues.
The EU could learn from these examples, as it has a reputation for acting decisively in times of crisis rather than planning ahead in key areas. In the face of multiple looming crisis on the horizon (environmental, security, energy) the time seems ripe to institutionalise the long-term view for a sustainable world in EU policy-making processes. To go beyond the short-termism and the EU’s 5-year political cycle, the appointment of a Commissioner for Future Generations and the introduction of a generation test could be the start to institutionalize the EU legacy towards future generations.
The open letter ends with a telling quote from the late Jacques Delors (president of the European Commission between 1985 and 1995): “En Europe, il faut le pompier mais aussi l’architecte.”
_Photo by Christian Lue on Unsplash _