The world in 2030. Highlights

The world is experiencing change at a speed and with an intensity that is unprecedented. Countries, institutions and policy makers across the globe find themselves increasingly reacting to the consequences of these changes rather than shaping the changes themselves. There is a recognition on the part of governments, international organisations and the private sector of the need to develop a capacity for foresight in order to identify major global trends, assess their potential impact and fashion policy-making accordingly.

The European Union (EU) as a major economic and political actor on the world stage is both impacted upon and contributes to these trends. It is against this backdrop of rapid change that the European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS) was born. It is a unique inter-institutional initiative of the EU that aims to identify the main global trends with a time horizon of 2030, assess the implications of these trends for the EU and review the challenges and policy options facing decision makers.