Think Tank Report: Future shocks for Europe: 

What's next? Risks and possible responses for the coming decade

The corona crisis, Russia's war against Ukraine and Hamas' terrorist attacks against Israel with the subsequent escalation in the Middle East and also on the streets and squares of European cities - what other challenges could Europe face in the coming years? Is it even possible to predict such events or are such assumptions merely based on guesswork? And how can emerging crises be averted in time? Even during the coronavirus crisis, the European Parliament began monitoring future potential shocks.

The "Future Shocks 2023" edition, the second in this annual series, focuses in particular on areas for which the EU is primarily responsible. It highlights a total of 15 risks in the sectors of geopolitics, climate change, health, economy and democracy that could become relevant in the next decade. Various scenarios and options are described, from further attempts by Russia to destabilize Europe and China's ambitions to "reunite" with Taiwan to the collapse of the internet and the loss of biodiversity on the planet.

Various scenarios and options are described, from further attempts by Russia to destabilize Europe and China's ambitions to "reunite" with Taiwan to the collapse of the internet and the loss of biodiversity on the planet. The risks identified have different probabilities. They are analyzed in the period from 2023 to 2036.

As possible responses to the risks, the study presents ten policy options aimed at strengthening existing governance structures. Some of the proposed measures can already be found in resolutions of the European Parliament, in statements by other EU institutions and in strategy papers by think tanks and interest groups.

You can find more information on this in the study "Future Shocks 2023: Anticipating and weathering the next storms", published by the European Parliament in July 2023, and in the article "Future Shocks 2023: De-risking Europe's global critical supply chains [Policy podcast]", published by EPRS Strategic Foresight and Capabilities.

Source: www.thinktankreport.kas.de