Representatives from the European Institutions and civil society gathered at the European Parliament on 17 October for “Europe for the Future: Developing Tools to Build an EU Fit for Future Generations”, an event organised by Future Generations, a coalition of which Pax Christi International is proud to be a part.
The event opened with an address from Lídia Pereira, Portuguese MEP for the European People’s Party who hosted the event. She welcomed the announcement that Future Generations will be represented in this new parliamentary term with the appointment of Glenn Micallef as Commissioner-Designate for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport.
A panel discussion followed, featuring representatives from youth, international law and an existing Future Generations practitioner. Panellist Neshan Gunasekera, a Legal Scholar and Councillor at the World Future Council, explained how Future Generations is an important legal concept that is gaining traction, noting that this was pioneered by the EU at the recent Summit of the Future. The appointment of the new commissioner is a significant opportunity for the EU to keep its leadership in human rights and the implementation of the SDGs.
Carlotta Garofalo, legal scholar and representative of Generation Climate Europe, articulated the distinction between Future Generations and youth policy. She emphasised that children, youth and future generations require different engagement methods, and have interests that clearly distinguish them, whilst acknowledging that these areas sometimes have overlapping policy needs.
Philip Löf, Diplomat for the Welsh Government, which has had a Commissioner for Future Generations for 10 years, shared insights on implementation. He expressed that the Welsh model not only illustrates how it can be done but also provides a blueprint for how the EU should develop its approach, one which includes participation and builds on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Following an engaging Q&A session, which included a powerful intervention from newly elected MEP Helder Sousa Silva, Béla Kuslits and Kelsey Beltz of our coalition hosted a briefing on the upcoming commissioner hearings.
They proposed questions for Commissioner-Designate Glenn Micallef’s upcoming hearings and tasked civil society participants to remain engaged in the Future Generations agenda at the EU level, ensuring this new commissioner can be encouraged and held accountable throughout his term.
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