Intergenerational Foresight 2026

ILLUSTRATIVE PATHWAYS The pathways below are illustrative rather than prescriptive. They demonstrate how the provocation could be applied across governance contexts. 1. Redefine sovereignty through long-term choice preservation Strategic assessments can shift from measuring present control to evaluating future agency. Infrastructure, industrial policy and security decisions are assessed based on whether they preserve or narrow the range of options available to future governments and citizens. This reframing aligns sovereignty with stewardship rather than accumulation. 2. Embed future optionality through an FOI Decision-makers can apply the FOI as a structured decision test for major policies, investments and regulatory choices. They must assess whether an action: –expands or narrows the opportunity space available to future generations –increases dependency or preserves reversibility –safeguards or erodes long-term assets, including ecosystems, human capabilities, institutional trust and digital autonomyBy making these trade-offs explicit, the FOI shifts debates from aspirational sustainability goals toward accountability for long-term agency. 3. Institutionalize long-term deliberation Leaders can incorporate intergenerational and citizen deliberative processes into decisions that have long-term or irreversible effects. These forums complement representative institutions by surfacing long-horizon risks and value trade-offs before pathways are locked in. FOI assessments can be tabled alongside these deliberations, providing a shared evidentiary basis for public justification. 4. Strengthen anticipatory capacity within the state Governments can embed dedicated foresight units, futures commissions and long-term impact assessments within budgetary, regulatory and strategic processes. These mechanisms ensure decision-makers consider future consequences systematically rather than episodically and reinforce temporal sovereignty as a routine function of governance.This challenge redefines good governance as temporal sovereignty: the ability to influence long-term outcomes rather than being confined to reactive, short-term decisions. It considers whether decisions preserve the capacity of future citizens to adapt, choose, and course correct. Temporal sovereignty shifts leadership accountability. Effectiveness is assessed not only by immediate results, but also by whether choices allow for reversibility, flexibility and resilience over time. To operationalize this reframing, the regional group proposes the Future Optionality Index (FOI). The FOI functions as a decision-support mechanism that renders long-term agency visible in decision-making. It translates abstract commitments to intergenerational responsibility into concrete questions embedded in policy and investment decisions. In a context of declining trust, demographic change and deep interdependence, this approach reconnects legitimacy with responsibility. Leadership credibility becomes linked to the preservation of choice, rather than to control alone. GLOBAL RELEVANCE The tensions observed across Europe and Eurasia are increasingly visible worldwide. Efforts to secure autonomy in energy, technology, food systems and supply chains often deliver short-term security while creating long-term dependencies.5 Similar dynamics appear across digital infrastructure, climate adaptation and social policy. Temporal sovereignty offers a transferable lens for navigating these challenges. By judging governance on its ability to preserve future agency, institutions can better manage uncertainty, interdependence and long-term risk.6 The Future Optionality Index provides a practical bridge between normative commitments to intergenerational fairness and day- to-day decision-making. Europe and Eurasia’s layered institutional architecture shows how institutions can operationalize such a temporal lens. The Intergenerational Foresight: An Approach for Long-Term Responsibility in Governance 13