State of Europe

State of Europe 2025 – Europe matters: now or never

To access the event page of State of Europe 2025, please follow this link.

In a year that celebrates the 100th anniversary of Jacques Delors, Europe’s future has never been more at stake – its credentials as a competitor, trading partner and global political actor are all being tested. He believed in a bold and united Europe, one that puts people first. Today, we need that same boldness to renew the promise of Europe: a fairer society, strong global leadership and real care for all its citizens. Will the EU dare to be brave, or will it allow itself to be shaped by external pressures?

In its 22nd edition, the Festival of Politics and Ideas confronted the challenges Europe faces, debate the policies that matter and be bold in resetting Europe’s direction.

Topics ranged from the war in Ukraine and its wider implications for European security, to the race to regulate Artificial Intelligence, and reforms needed to keep Europe’s economy competitive in the fast-changing global environment.

The meeting heard from Jakov Milatović, President of Montenegro and past and present government ministers from Ukraine, Romania, Moldova and Albania on the importance of pressing ahead with EU enlargement as a guarantee for stability and prosperity across the continent.

Former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta joined senior business leaders to press for an end to market fragmentation holding back innovation, competitiveness and growth in Europe; and Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, spoke on how to accelerate rulemaking for AI while maintaining respect for democratic standards.

Europe needs to innovate or face irrelevancy, cautioned by Yolanda Díaz Pérez, Vice-President of the Government of Spain and Minister of Labour and Social Economy. However, she stressed the drive for tech progress must be inclusive and avoid exacerbating inequalities.

Speakers from Israel and Palestine joined a session on the Middle East conflict and possible roles for Europe in the wake of the peace agreement; experts examined how to keep the climate emergency at the top of the political agenda; and Taras Kachka, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration briefed on latest developments in the war.

State of Europe 2024 – Voices, choices and leadership: a tipping point for Europe?

To access the event page of State of Europe 2024, please follow this link.

By the end of 2024, more than two billion voters around the world will have been invited to the polls to make their voices heard. This unprecedented election year is poised to have profound effects, heralding an era of significant global transformation and opportunity. Election results are also expected to mirror a broader global sentiment: an increasing disillusionment with present politicians’ promises for the future, reflecting a deep-seated scepticism towards the notion of progress. The 2024 European Parliamentary elections were expected to deliver a dramatic far-right surge, but instead gave place to a more nuanced picture likely to further complicate consensus-building on important policy issues in the next institutional cycle. The elections impacted national politics, albeit differently according to the member state, underscoring dynamics at play between national and EU-level politics.

The European elections did not only provide insights into citizens’ present-day concerns, but also gauged what hope there is for a future challenged by war, geopolitical shifts, heightened competition among global tech powers, the climate emergency, high levels of public debt and growing socio-economic disparities, to name but a few.

The pace, scope, and depth of social, economic, political, and technological change from 2019 to 2024 have been remarkable, setting a breathtaking context for future possibilities. We can realistically expect even faster and more profound changes in the coming term. More likely than not, the coming years will bring about even greater polarisation. However, as political leadership changes across the world and a new European institutional cycle begins, 2025 has the potential to kick-start an era in which Europe delivers the governance its citizens need: a social and competitive Europe that keeps Europeans healthy and safe, meets economic ambitions, and retains social imperatives at the centre of all considerations.

Friends of Europe argues for a Renewed Social Contract as the key to achieving the inclusive and fair transitions, peace and security and social prosperity needed for Europe to care for its citizens and retain its role on the global stage. Building upon the ideas set out in Friends of Europe’s recently published ‘10 policy choices for a Renewed Social Contract for Europe’, the 21st State of Europe high-level roundtable will be dedicated to sketching the Europe we want the new European Commission to work towards. Finally, conversations at the State of Europe high-level roundtable will be underpinned by citizen-generated data gathered by Debating Europe, as part of our Voices for Choices project.

2023 marked the 20th anniversary of State of Europe

As Europe found itself in the lead up to the 2024 European parliamentary elections, last year’s State of Europe high-level roundtable focused all of its attention on deliberating 10 policy choices for a Renewed Social Contract for Europe. These choices, ultimately launched on 28 February 2024, were the result of year-long multisectoral and multi-stakeholder consultations and took into consideration the voices and opinions of 2,024 European citizens. The 2023 high-level roundtable brought together Friends of Europe’s network to:

• Take stock of the 2019-2024 European Commission mandate
• Dive into the European Union’s twin transition, digital critical infrastructure roll-out, healthcare systems reforms, internal market, the Ukraine War, the energy and cost-of-living crises, and more
• Present and discuss ‘Ten policy choices for Renewed Social Contract for Europe’, which will include our social contract ambitions, analysis of the current Commission’s achievements and major trends impacting Europe, as well as expectations in the next EU mandate. We will also offer clear ways forward for the next European mandate to continue building a Europe that is fair, inclusive and sustainable

To find out how you can support the State of Europe programme, please contact:

• Nathalie Furrer, Director
• Natasha Ibbotson, Deputy Director, Partnerships
• Francisco Lopez, Programme Manager