Health and Societal Resilience

📚 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐒𝐑 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦! As the summer break approaches, we thought this was the perfect moment to pause for a second. It has been six months since we launched this page, and in that time we have shared so many events, publications and updates from our Health and Societal Resilience Programme. Thank you for following along. We will be taking a short break from LinkedIn over the summer, but before we do, the whole HSR team wanted to leave you with something a little different: a personal book recommendation from each of us. Consider it our summer reading list for you. 🔴 Elizabeth Kuiper, Associate Director and Head of the Health and Societal Resilience Programme My suggestion is "Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare" by Edward Fishman, on how the US and its allies use control of key chokepoints, from the dollar to microchips, to exert geopolitical pressure. 🔴 Valentina Caimi, Senior Programme Manager My pick is "The Culture Map" by Erin Meyer, full of useful insights on navigating cultural differences, especially helpful for anyone working or living in multicultural contexts. 🔴 Samuel Goodger, Policy Analyst My suggestion is "Careless People" by Sarah Wynn-Williams. A gripping insider account of leading Meta's lobbying efforts, and how detached tech elites can be from users' real concerns. 🔴 Michele Migliori, Policy Analyst Two suggestions. "The Hour of the Predator" by Giuliano da Empoli, on the rise of autocrats and tech billionaires reshaping global power. And "Perfume" by Patrick Süskind, a dark novel about obsession in eighteenth-century France. 🔴 Viktoria Henkemeier, Junior Policy Analyst My pick is "Yesteryear" by Caro Claire Burke, a light beach read about the tradwife trend that also invites reflection on how the left's ideals get instrumentalised by the far right. Great fodder for dinner table debates. 🔴 Andrea Cappellotto, Programme Assistant My suggestion is "The Sum of Us" by Heather McGhee, on how racism has shaped public policy in ways that end up costing everyone, paired with a hopeful case for a more inclusive society. That's it from us for now. We will be back in September with new events, publications and plenty to discuss. Enjoy the summer, and happy reading! Stay up to date with the work of the Health and Societal Resilience Programme, led by Elizabeth Kuiper and supported by a talented team including Valentina Caimi, Michele Migliori, Samuel Goodger, Viktoria Henkemeier and Andrea Cappellotto. #SummerReads #TeamRecommendations #HealthPolicy #SocietalResilience #EPC

📢 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐆𝐄 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟: 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞-𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 – 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 Public procurement represents over €2 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 — around 15% 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐔 𝐆𝐃𝐏. Yet too often, it remains focused on achieving the lowest price rather than delivering long-term public value. Our new MERGE - Measuring what matters Policy Brief argues that public procurement should be recognised as a 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, helping public authorities deliver better outcomes for current and future generations. It presents seven recommendations for the ongoing revision of the EU Public Procurement Directives, including moving beyond lowest-price procurement, strengthening lifecycle approaches, improving access for SMEs and the social economy, fostering social and #genderequality considerations, and investing in procurement capacity and accountability. This publication has been 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐆𝐄 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐛, organised by the European Policy Centre, bringing together policymakers, practitioners and experts to explore how procurement can become a stronger driver of sustainable and inclusive wellbeing. We’d like to thank all the participants and speakers: Alexandra Yaghil (AEIDL (European Association for Innovation in Local Development)), Tünde Tátrai, Mieke Frans (Provincie Vlaams-Brabant), Benjamin Gueraud-Pinet (RTES - Réseau des collectivités Territoriales pour une Économie Sociale et Solidaire, GIP Maximilien), Audrey Bonabeau (RESECO), Jean-François Herz (SAW-B, Solidarité des Alternatives Wallonnes et Bruxelloises), Bergara Ander. European Institute for Gender Equality A special thank you to Warren Smith (Posterity Global), who reviewed and inspired this work. Warren is also contributing to the international debate through his work, commissioned by 𝐔𝐍 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 Olivier De Schutter, on how public procurement can help eradicate poverty by creating long-term public value and considering the interests of future generations. 📖 Read the MERGE Policy Brief: https://lnkd.in/eEMaK2yM #MERGEproject #EUPublicProcurement #SocialProcurement #WellbeingEconomy #SocialInnovation #PublicPolicy #SocialEconomy #Genderequality

📢 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨! How can Europe respond to demographic change while ensuring that people have the opportunity to belong, thrive, work and build the lives they value? Join us on 7 July for the MERGE Policy Lab: 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐀 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 This online Policy Lab will bring together leading experts from European institutions, international organisations, academia and policy to explore demographic resilience from a rights-based and wellbeing perspective. Rather than focusing only on population trends, we will discuss the policies that create the conditions for people to: 🔵 access affordable housing and quality services; 🔵 build a family if and when they choose; 🔵 access quality jobs and lifelong learning opportunities; 🔵 remain in their communities if they wish; 🔵 contribute to resilient, inclusive and thriving societies. Meet our speakers and moderators 𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞: 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 🔴 Sandrine Dixson-Declève – Executive Chair, Earth4All and Honorary President, Club of Rome (Moderator) 🔴 Fabrizio Natale – Project Leader Demography, Joint Research Centre, European Commission 🔴 Philipp Ueffing – Project Officer, Demography, Migration and Demography Unit, Joint Research Centre, European Commission 🔴 Birgit Van Hout – Chief, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representation Office in Brussels 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 1 Housing, services and opportunities as the foundations for staying and building a family 🔴 Valentina Caimi – Senior Programme Manager, European Policy Centre (Moderator) 🔴 Serafin Pazos Vidal – Senior Policy Lead for Territorial Development, AEIDL (European Association for Innovation in Local Development) 🔴 Eleonora Peruffo – Research Officer, Eurofound 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 2 Demographic change, skills investment and future labour-market resilience 🔴 Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Earth4All and Club of Rome 🔴 Prof. Tommaso Frattini – Università degli Studi di Milano & CEPR - Centre for Economic Policy Research 🔴 Samuel Goodger – Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre Together, we will explore how integrated policies can strengthen demographic resilience and inclusive wellbeing. The event is organised by the European Policy Centre in the framework of the Horizon Europe MERGE - Measuring what matters project (Measuring what matters: policy pathways to sustainable and inclusive wellbeing). 👉 Register by 6 July: https://lnkd.in/eugFjdB2 Stay up to date with the work of the Health and Societal Resilience Programme, led by Elizabeth Kuiper and supported by a talented team including Valentina Caimi, Michele Migliori, Samuel Goodger, Viktoria Henkemeier and Andrea Cappellotto. #MERGEproject #DemographicResilience #WellbeingEconomy #Housing #Migration #FamilyPolicy #FutureOfWork #SocialCohesion #InclusiveWellbeing

📢 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞? At our upcoming MERGE - Measuring what matters Policy Lab, participants won't just hear from experts—they will join interactive breakout sessions to exchange experiences, discuss solutions and co-create policy recommendations. 📅 7 July 2026 🕤 09:30–12:00 CET 💻 Online Following our plenary discussion on demographic resilience and wellbeing, participants will join one of two parallel breakout sessions exploring the policies that can help create societies where people of all generations can belong, thrive, work and build the lives they value. 🏡 Breakout Session 1 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 What conditions enable people to stay in their communities if they wish? How do access to affordable housing, quality public services, and economic opportunities influence decisions about family formation and territorial cohesion? Which combination of policies is needed to reduce the gap between desired and realised births? Speakers: 🔴 Serafin Pazos Vidal, Senior Policy Lead for Territorial Development, AEIDL (European Association for Innovation in Local Development) 🔴 Césarine Boinet, Project Manager, High Commission for Strategy and Planning (France) 🔴 Valentina Caimi, European Policy Centre (moderator) Together, we will explore how place-based approaches and integrated policy responses can strengthen the right to stay, support people's family aspirations and contribute to thriving communities. 💼 Breakout Session 2 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞, 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫-𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 How can Europe respond to labour and skills shortages while ensuring that migration, lifelong learning and AI contribute to more inclusive labour markets? Speakers: 🔴 Prof. Tommaso Frattini, Università Statale di Milano 🔴 Samuel Goodger, Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre 🔴 Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Earth4All & Club of Rome (moderator) This discussion will examine how investing in people's skills and capabilities can strengthen demographic resilience while supporting quality jobs, innovation and sustainable wellbeing. The event is organised by the European Policy Centre in the framework of the Horizon Europe MERGE - Measuring what matters project. 👉 Register by 6 July: https://lnkd.in/eugFjdB2 Stay up to date with the work of the Health and Societal Resilience Programme, led by Elizabeth Kuiper and supported by a talented team including Valentina Caimi, Michele Migliori, Samuel Goodger, Viktoria Henkemeier and Andrea Cappellotto. #MERGEproject #DemographicResilience #WellbeingEconomy #Housing #Migration #FutureOfWork #FamilyPolicy #SocialCohesion #InclusiveWellbeing

On 11 June, our Policy Analyst, Samuel Goodger, presented the EPC policy brief 𝐅𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐈 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐔 𝐋𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 at an event organised by the Brussels AGI Collective, followed by a fireside chat with David Timis.   The brief argues that the distribution of AI's impacts on work is far from neutral. As it stands, the evidence points to a widening gap: higher earners stand to benefit most, while the middle class faces growing AI-driven displacement risk. This brings Europe’s fiscal model - as welfare states largely rely on income taxes - into question, just as the tax base is eroded by the demographic crisis.   The conversation at the event reached beyond the scope of our paper, tackling some of the harder questions we’re only beginning to grapple with. How does our historical experience of technological breakthroughs and industrial relations apply to AI? How can current policy attention to re-skilling and AI literacy be best targeted, to avoid training based on outdated assumptions? When AI adoption costs, capabilities, and incentives vary dramatically across 27 member states, how should the EU coordinate its response?   These are each questions that the HSR Programme will continue to explore. Read the full policy brief here: https://lnkd.in/e_UJX9sX   Many thanks to David Timis, Tom Dugnoille, and the Brussels AGI Collective for organising a lively and insightful discussion, and to Samuel’s co-authors Pietro Valetto and Elizabeth Kuiper.   Stay up to date with the work of the Health and Societal Resilience Programme, led by Elizabeth Kuiper and supported by a talented team including Valentina Caimi, Michele Migliori, Samuel Goodger, Viktoria Henkemeier and Andrea Cappellotto.   #AIPolicy #FutureOfWork #LabourMarket #EuropeanPolicy #ArtificialIntelligence #SocialResilience #EPC #HealthAndSocietalResilience

🌍 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞? Join us for the MERGE Policy Lab: "𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐀 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞" 📅 7 July 2026 🕤 09:30–12:00 CET 💻 Online Across Europe, ageing populations, declining fertility rates, labour and skills shortages, migration dynamics and territorial inequalities are reshaping our societies. Yet demographic change is not only a demographic issue – it is also about wellbeing, opportunities, rights, social and territorial cohesion. This Policy Lab will explore how we can create the conditions that enable people to: 🔵 Access affordable housing and essential services where they live 🔵 Form families if and when they choose 🔵 Access quality jobs and opportunities in an era of profound digital transformations 🔵 Stay in their communities if they wish 🔵 Participate fully in society across all stages of life. Taking a rights-based and wellbeing-oriented approach, we will discuss how family policies, policies on housing, services, migration, skills, labour markets and territorial development can strengthen demographic resilience and create thriving communities across Europe and beyond. We are delighted to announce our plenary speakers: 🔴 Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Executive Chair, Earth4All and Honorary President, Club of Rome (Moderator) 🔴 Fabrizio Natale and Philipp Ueffing, Joint Research Centre, European Commission Presenting the latest evidence on demographic change, fertility decline, migration, labour and skills shortages, and territorial inequalities. 🔴 Birgit Van Hout, Chief, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representation Office in Brussels Discussing how the UN and Europe can address demographic change by expanding people's choices and opportunities. Participants will also join breakout discussions on: 🔵 Housing, services and opportunities as the foundations for staying and building a family 🔵 Demographic change, skills investment and future labour-market resilience The event is organised by the European Policy Centre in the framework of the Horizon Europe MERGE - Measuring what matters: policy pathways to sustainable and inclusive wellbeing. 👉 Register by 6 July at 12:00 PM: https://lnkd.in/eugFjdB2 Stay tuned for further speaker announcements! Stay up to date with the work of the Health and Societal Resilience Programme, led by Elizabeth Kuiper and supported by a talented team including Valentina Caimi, Michele Migliori, Samuel Goodger, Viktoria Henkemeier and Andrea Cappellotto. #MERGEproject #DemographicResilience #WellbeingEconomy #BeyondGDP #SocialCohesion #Migration #Housing #FamilyPolicy #TerritorialCohesion #FutureOfWork #InclusiveWellbeing

Yesterday at the European Policy Centre, we held a roundtable on 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞, bringing together EU policymakers, experts, industry representatives and health innovation stakeholders. The discussion, moderated by Elizabeth Kuiper and Michele Migliori, focused on a key challenge for Europe’s competitiveness and health resilience: how to bridge the gap between scientific excellence, industrial scaling, and timely, equitable patient access to innovative health technologies. Europe has world-class research and innovation capacity, but too often promising technologies face fragmented regulatory, assessment, reimbursement and financing pathways. This can delay patient access, reduce investment predictability, and limit Europe’s ability to scale innovation. Against this backdrop, we explored whether new EU instruments— including the possible role of a 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 — could help support early access, de-risk investment, and better connect innovation and access objectives. We also discussed what Europe can learn from national models, including the Italian Innovation Fund and the UK Cancer Drugs Fund, particularly in terms of governance, risk-sharing, investment flows and scalability. Many thanks to our speakers, participants and project partners at MSD, European Alliance for Personalised Medicine (EAPM), and EUCOPE - European Confederation of Pharmaceutical Entrepreneurs for a rich and forward-looking exchange. As part of this project, we will now prepare a policy brief outlining our recommendations. Please stay tuned. Stay up to date with the work of the Health and Societal Resilience Programme, led by Elizabeth Kuiper and supported by a talented team including Valentina Caimi, Michele Migliori, Samuel Goodger, Viktoria Henkemeier and Andrea Cappellotto. #HealthInnovation #EUHealth #EuropeanInnovation #HealthPolicy #HealthcareInnovations #InnovationFunding #HealthTech #EUCompetitiveness #EPC

🌍 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞! On 11 June, the European Policy Centre and the MERGE - Measuring what matters Horizon Europe project will bring together leading experts, policymakers, researchers and practitioners for our online Policy Lab: "𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬". As Europe seeks new ways to strengthen democracy, rebuild trust and ensure that policies reflect citizens' needs and aspirations, participatory and deliberative approaches are becoming increasingly important tools for shaping sustainable and inclusive wellbeing. Our speakers and moderators include: 🔴 Professor Robert Costanza (UCL Institute for Global Prosperity) 🔴 Ângela Guimarães Pereira (Joint Research Centre, European Commission) 🔴 Dr. Constantin Schäfer (ifok GmbH) 🔴 Nicole De Palmenaer (parliament of the German-speaking community of Belgium) 🔴 Karolin M. (Eesti Koostöö Kogu / Estonian Cooperation Assembly) 🔴 Tove Kjellander (Save the Children Europe) 🔴 Mateusz Tokarski (Joint Research Centre, European Commission) 🔴 Giorgia De Giacomi (@ANCI Emilia-Romagna / Comune di Bologna) Moderated by: 🔴 Sandrine Dixson-Declève (Earth4All & Club of Rome) 🔴 Valentina Caimi (European Policy Centre) 🔴 Viktoria Henkemeier (European Policy Centre), Rapporteur 🔴 Liza Saris (European Policy Centre), Rapporteur Participants will join one of two interactive breakout sessions: 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐧𝐬' 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 We will explore: 🔵 What makes participation meaningful for citizens? 🔵 Why do participatory processes so often fail to influence policy decisions? 🔵 What political, institutional and practical conditions are needed for success? 🔵 What lessons can be drawn from local, national, EU and international experiences? 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 We will discuss: 🔵 How can participation be meaningful, safe and inclusive for children and young people? 🔵 What barriers prevent young voices from being heard in policymaking? 🔵 How can youth participation have a real impact on political decisions? 🔵 What advice would you give policymakers seeking to embed child and youth participation in governance processes? 📅 11 June 2026 🕤 09:30–12:00 CEST 💻 Online 👉 Register by 9 June: https://lnkd.in/eR6Vz3dA Stay up to date with the work of the Health and Societal Resilience Programme, led by Elizabeth Kuiper and supported by a talented team including Valentina Caimi, Michele Migliori, Samuel Goodger, Viktoria Henkemeier and Andrea Cappellotto. #WellbeingGovernance #ParticipatoryDemocracy #DeliberativeDemocracy #CitizenEngagement #ChildParticipation #YouthEngagement #MERGEProject #EPC

Today, 4 June, we kicked off the Brussels Economic Security Forum with a 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 on 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐕𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡. We brought together around 30 experts from EU institutions, Member States, think tanks, industry and civil society to examine a core tension in EU industrial policy: how to build genuine resilience while preserving openness and trusted international partnerships. The discussion opened with Elizabeth Kuiper, Associate Director at European Policy Centre, presenting our new Policy Brief 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬-𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫. The brief argues that a narrow "made in EU" framing risks fragmentation, higher health system costs and WTO exposure, and makes the case instead for a holistic "made with Europe" approach: one anchored in EU-based innovation, diversified supply chains and structured engagement with trusted partners. The first session examined the CMA, IAA and the forthcoming Public Procurement Directive revision, addressing how to coordinate instruments developing on distinct timescales, keep vulnerability assessments dynamic and evidence-based, and leverage tools such as the EMA's European Shortages Monitoring Platform (EMSP) to improve supply chain data collection. The second drew on cleantech experience to identify what a credible framework needs: multi-winner tenders as a supply diversification tool, trusted third-country partners within the preferential scope, and criteria that reflect full supply-chain value creation rather than production location alone. Three themes cut across both sessions: coordination risks from parallel legislative instruments, the need for dynamic evidence-based vulnerability assessments, and the case for treating trusted international partnerships as a structural feature of European preference. More to come from the Brussels Economic Security Forum. #EuropeanPreference #EconomicSecurity #Pharmaceuticals #Cleantech #EUIndustrialPolicy #BrusselsEconomicSecurityForum #CriticalMedicinesAct CSL, Viatris, Katarína Gatialová, Victor Lino Mendonça, Irene de Cara, Dafni Kachrila Skouteli