Euroviews. Future generations must be given a seat at the EU table

At its origin, the European Union was conceived as a long-term project. Yet as it approaches the end of another five-year term, the structures of the EU are jeopardising its ability to deliver on its long-term promise. 

Now is the moment to think creatively about the next five-year cycle. Many reform ideas have been floated but so far not one that addresses directly the persistent deprioritisation of long-term interests.

Former Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti often dubbed the EU the "trade union" which defends the interests of future generations. 

But, despite its history of decades-long work towards integration, and its forward-looking ambition to achieve net zero by 2050, the EU lacks an institutional framework that truly prioritises the livelihoods of future generations. 

Strategies and policymaking horizons do not extend beyond mid-century, thus discriminating based on date of birth.

We need to look no further than diminishing support for environmental protection policies to have reason to question whether the right institutional setting exists to enable truly forward-thinking. 

Take the European Green Deal: it was unveiled as a pivotal "man on the moon" moment for the future of Europe. Now it is increasingly becoming a scapegoat for social ills.

Political short-sightedness was already undermining some key Green Deal policies before it was further stalled by the early departure of the deal’s chief, Frans Timmermans. 

This meant that at the most critical time for this package’s adoption, the European Commission had to rearrange the portfolio of another commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič, and appoint a brand new one with questionable green credentials, Wopke Hoekstra, as Green Deal stewards.

Their eleventh-hour appointment, at a