Policy brief: Governing across generations: Embedding intergenerational fairness in everyday decisions

Embedding intergenerational fairness in policymaking is essential to ensure that today's decisions meet present needs without compromising the wellbeing of future generations. As Europe faces demographic change, climate pressures and growing inequalities, governments must move beyond short-term political and budgetary cycles and consider the long-term consequences of their choices. Drawing on the MERGE Policy Lab held in April 2026, this Policy Brief explores how intergenerational fairness can become a practical principle of governing across all policy areas, at EU, national, regional and local levels. It emphasises that while dedicated legislation and strategies are an important starting point, they need to be supported by cultural and institutional change, including political leadership, long-term planning, administrative capacity and meaningful participation. The Policy Brief identifies six priorities for action for all levels of governance: Institutionalise and mainstream intergenerational fairness across government, by making generational impact assessments a standard requirement for major legislation, budgets and investments, building on existing better-regulation and wellbeing frameworks. Assign clear political ownership of intergenerational fairness, enabled by cross-government coordination and independent scrutiny. Build an evidence-based measurement system that combines indicators, foresight and longitudinal evidence to assess long-term impacts and trade-offs across generations. Shift public policy from remediation towards prevention to reduce future social, economic and environmental costs. Make participation and intergenerational cooperation part of the policy process, involving young people, citizens and civil society throughout the policy cycle. Equip EU and national authorities with the capacity, resources and flexibility to translate long-term objectives into concrete action; localise intergenerational fairness and invest in implementation capacity, giving regional and local authorities the resources, flexibility and skills to turn long-term objectives into place-based action. The Brief examines three policy areas where these principles are relevant: public procurement, which can prioritise long-term public investments over immediate costs; intergenerational poverty, where prevention and integrated policies can help break cycles of disadvantage; and generational renewal in agriculture, which requires coordinated action on farm succession, access to land and finance and rural vitality.