​The European Commission has submitted to Parliament its response to the statement of the Committee for the Future on Strategic Foresight – Charting the course towards a more resilient Europe (link to the English translation of the Committee statement).

In the response, Maroš Šefčovič, Vice-President of the European Commission, thanked Parliament for the statement, which would be taken into account in the Commission's future foresight activities. Strategic foresight is a priority for the Commission and is to be reflected in EU policies and legislation.

According to Šefčovič, it is vital to improve the capacity of the EU and its Member States to detect new trends in good time, prepare for possible future developments and plan solutions to potential problems or develop policies to address new opportunities.

In its reply, the Commission draws attention to Finland's experience with a diverse foresight ecosystem. Its inclusive approach is important for the outcomes of the foresight process as well as its ownership. The Commission is also interested in learning from Finland's experience in developing future literacy and integrating dialogue with citizens into foresight.

Joakim Strand (Swedish Parliamentary Group), Chairman of the Committee for the Future, says that Finland has a long history in strategic foresight and therefore also has a lot to give to European foresight cooperation. At the same time, Strand actively encourages the entire Finnish foresight community to participate in EU foresight cooperation: "Now is the place to do it."

According to Šefčovič, the Commission's cooperation with the Member States is a key factor in establishing a common European foresight program and integrating foresight into EU policies in a spirit of shared responsibility to define the future.

The EU Foresight Network met for the first time at ministerial level on 17 May 2021. The aim of the network is to build public administration foresight capabilities based on partnership by bringing together collective intelligence and foresight expertise from all Member States and the Commission to exchange strategic views and work together on future European issues.

Šefčovič concludes the reply by stating that the Commission looks forward to continuing the dialogue with Parliament on the importance of strategic foresight in strengthening EU decision-making procedures and EU-wide cooperation, including the issues mentioned in Parliament's statement.