The effects of the economic crisis show how this goal is far from being realized in the near future. Youth unemployment rates in EU member states range from 7 percent to almost 50 percent. Whereas some countries lack qualified workers, others grapple to help a “lost generation” that lacks the capacity to build up an independent and sustainable existence. What must happen by 2026 to create more equal conditions for young people all over Europe?

This question is all the more urgent as our understanding of work undergoes deep changes. Work has become more digital, more fluid, and more flexible, while also confronting different expectations in terms of work-life-balance and self-fulfillment. New industries require new skills, whereas a changing value system demands a shift in the way we think about work.

Thinking about the prospects for youth in 2026 therefore implies thinking about all aspects of contemporary society, for example education, research and innovation, migration, and digitalization. The way policy shapes those areas will, in turn, shape the lives of young people in the next decade.

• The “backcasting” methodology was used in the Foresight Workshops. It involves working backward from possible outcomes and developing policy recommendations for achieving the most desirable scenarios. 

This report is also available in German and in French.

>> The programme French-German Future Dialogue 2016 is organized by the Study Committee for French-German Relations (CERFA) of the French Institute for International Relations (IFRI), and the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) in cooperation with and with generous support from the Robert Bosch Foundation​. For more information please visit our French and German website : www.dialogue-avenir.eu