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Sustainability

State of the Union 2022

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Wednesday, September 14, 2022
Abstract in English: 
Every year in September, the President of the European Commission delivers a State of the Union Address before the European Parliament, taking stock of achievements of the past year and presenting priorities for the year ahead. The President also sets out how the European Commission will address the most pressing challenges the European Union is facing. The speech is followed by a plenary debate. This kick-starts the dialogue with the European Parliament and the Council to prepare the Commission Work Programme for the following year.
Anchored in the Treaty of Lisbon, the State of the Union Address is set out in the 2010 Framework Agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the European Commission, which also requires the President to send a Letter of Intent to the President of the European Parliament
and the Presidency of the Council detailing the actions the European Commission intends to take by means of legislation and other initiatives until the end of the following year.
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, delivered her third State of the Union Address on 14 September 2022.
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21
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State of the Union Address 2023

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Abstract in English: 
In her State of the Union address on 13 September 2023, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen outlined the main priorities and flagship initiatives for the year to come, building on the European Union's successes and achievements of the past years.
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31
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Beyond Force: A Realist Pathway Through the Green Transition

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Monday, July 10, 2023
Abstract in English: 
Trying to force adoption of clean energy with subsidies, regulations, and exhortations will fail. The only realistic way to spur the green transition is to develop clean technologies that can reach effective price and performance parity with dirty ones. Then markets will adopt them at scale.
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47
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The Global Land Squeeze: Managing the Growing Competition for Land

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Thursday, July 20, 2023
Abstract in English: 
In this report, WRI researchers explore how rising demand for food, wood and shelter is squeezing land that’s needed for storing carbon and protecting biodiversity. This research uses new modeling to give a true global picture of the carbon opportunity costs for land use and proposes a four-pronged approach–produce, protect, reduce, restore–for sustainably managing the world’s finite land.
Competition for land is heating up as a growing global population increases demand for food, wood and shelter – putting a squeeze on land that is needed to store carbon and provide habitats for biodiversity.
By 2050, this research projects that land twice the size of India will be converted for agriculture, and land the size of the continental United States will be needed to meet the increasing demand for wood.
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176
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Forward Look 2023

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Monday, January 9, 2023
Abstract in English: 
Events over the past year – first and foremost the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with its immediate and long-term consequences – have both confirmed and accelerated the long-term global trends which were highlighted in last year’s Forward Look. These trends included global fragmentation, the polarisation of society, evolving economic models, and pressing environmental challenges. Their development during 2022 suggests that we are witnessing the beginning of a new era of both challenges and opportunities which may call for a far-reaching reassessment of the European model.
Russia’s war against Ukraine is the most visible and far-reaching of these developments, but it is not the only one.
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19
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Future Shocks 2023: Anticipating and weathering the next storms

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Thursday, July 20, 2023
Abstract in English: 
The European Parliament started monitoring future shocks during the coronavirus crisis, and has continued to do so during Russia's unprecedented war on Ukraine. The annual 'Future Shocks' series reviews global risks, with a focus on specific risks and the capabilities and resilience of the EU system in the face of multiple challenges. It seeks to provide up-to-date, objective and authoritative information on these risks, based on risk literature from a broad range of sources. 'Future Shocks' includes, but is not limited to, areas where the EU has primary competence, and identifies the benefits of concerted action by the EU as well as the ability of its institutions and Member States to find new and effective solutions to deal with major shocks. The 2023 edition, the second in this annual series, highlights 15 risks related to geopolitics, climate change, health, economics and democracy that could occur in the coming decade, and 10 policy responses to address existing governance capacity and possible ways to enhance capabilities within the EU. Among the options set out are those previously included in European Parliament resolutions, positions from other EU institutions, and policy papers from think tanks and stakeholders.
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235
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Fostering Effective Energy Transition 2023

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Abstract in English: 
After a decade of progress, the global energy transition has plateaued amid the global energy crisis and geopolitical volatilities, according to the World Economic Forum's Fostering Effective Energy Transition 2023 report. The Energy Transition Index, which benchmarks 120 countries on their current energy system performance and on the readiness of their enabling environment, finds that while there has been broad progress on clean, sustainable energy, there are emerging challenges to the equity of the transition – just, affordable access to energy and sustained economic development – due to countries shifting their focus to energy security.
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72
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Strategic Foresight Report 2023

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Thursday, July 6, 2023
Abstract in English: 
The European Union is forging ahead with unprecedented action to achieve climate neutrality and sustainability. A successful transformation will limit the existential risks of climate change and the environmental crisis while strengthening the EU’s open strategic autonomy and economic security. It will be key to reinforcing Europe’s long-term competitiveness and social model, and thus its global leadership in the new, net-zero economy, also by supporting other regions in building a sustainable future. Ultimately, this will increase the wellbeing of current and future generations.
However, a successful and fair socio-economic transformation is not a given. Together with its twin, the digital transition, the green transition requires pivotal changes and trade-offs that will affect, among others, our economies and societies at an unmatched pace and scale. To succeed in this transformation, it is essential to recognise the links between the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability. This will enable Europe to pursue a forwardlooking geopolitical strategy that successfully leverages its most valuable assets – namely, its unique social market economy and its position as the largest trading block in the world.
Against this backdrop, the 2023 Strategic Foresight Report examines the key intersections between the structural trends and dynamics affecting the social and economic aspects of sustainability, to clarify the potential choices and trade-offs that the EU is likely to face in the future. Drawing on an inclusive foresight exercise and building on the three previous editions, it explores key challenges that will determine the transformation of our society and economy towards a model that respects planetary boundaries, and safeguards global competitiveness, strong social foundations, and resilience. It also investigates how pursuing inclusive wellbeing over the long-term, engaging in a pathway towards sustainability, and consolidating democracy can be the recipe for Europe to strengthen its global role.
On this basis, the report proposes ten areas for action to achieve the objectives of a socially and economically sustainable Europe with a stronger role in the world in the coming years.
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36
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The 7Ds for Sustainability

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Sunday, April 30, 2023
Abstract in English: 
The Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies (WMCES) would like to contribute to a reflection process to identify options and concrete proposals for political action on the European level for the next legislature 2024-2029 in these 7 key areas:
defence, debt, digitalisation, demography, democracy, de-carbonisation and de-globalisation. They also represent policy fields in which the European People’s Party identifies its core competencies as a political force.
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20
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EU-China 2030

Date of Editorial Board meeting: 
Publication date: 
Wednesday, December 7, 2022
Abstract in English: 
The EU's relations with China are changing rapidly. What priorities, choices, challenges and opportunities might emerge for the EU in its dealings with China over the next decade? This study presents the results of an expert survey on the future of EU-China relations. 171 China observers took part, drawn from among European think tanks, EU institutions and a China-focused European youth network. A synthesis of the responses reflects the considerations, insights and advice of Europe's China knowledge community on the EU's approach to China looking ahead towards 2030.
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56
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