Réseau PROSPER

The project explores futures of green skills and jobs and their supply and demand in Europe 2050. We are making a deep dive into developments which are currently underway and will take us to different possible 2030s, according to events largely unpredictable and decisions bound by a number of constraints of diverse nature. The project is one of eight foresight deep dives of the project 'European R&I foresight and public engagement for Horizon Europe' carried out by the Horizon Europe consortium.

Science can be better fostered in an open, democratic society than in other types of societies. The norm of civic participation in a ‘democracy’ is a lived ideal for citizens, just as the norm of ‘communalism’ is a lived ideal for the scientific community. Both norms presuppose the values of ‘openness’ and 'mutual responsiveness' among scientist and citizens.This highlights ‘openness’ not as a prescriptive norm but as a value of the institution of science. Simultaneously, ‘openness’ is also an institutional value of a democracy. If we primarily understand the norm of communalism as an institutional value of science, then communalism and openness becomey research virtues for the scientific communityrather than prescriptive norms. Similarly, ‘voting’ and participation in social-political decision making is considered a civic virtue in a democracy, even though the institution of democracy does not oblige individuals to vote or to participate. Therefore, we do not need to codifying these norma, which can be seen as functional for the operation of science and a democracy therefore represent institutional values. In this way, we can understand -governance of the institution of science and democracy through the adoption of appropriate research virtues and civic virtues. However, science and democracy are dependent on the extent to which scientist and citizens engage on the basis of these norms. How can we best encourage and incentivise those?

OrganicTargets4EU supports the Farm-to-Fork Strategy in achieving the targets of at least 25% of the EU's agricultural land under organic farming and a significant increase in organic aquaculture by 2030.   Activities OrganicTargets4EU for reaching these targets and identifies key drivers and lock-ins affecting the development of organic agriculture and aquaculture in 29 countries (EU-27+CH+NO).   Production and Market analysis of the identified scenarios to provide a picture of: · Where increases in organic farmland can be achieved · The socio-economic impacts of these increases at the level of primary production, value chains, and markets · The mechanisms that can drive demand for organic food   Knowledge & Innovation actions to: · Identify opportunities to strengthen organic advisory services · Stimulate the exchange of scientific and practical knowledge · Increase and coordinate R&I investments in the organic sector   Policy work facilitating a multi-actor policy dialogue to: · Assess the feasibility of the organic Farm-to-Fork targets · Supports the implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), EU Organic Regulation, Organic Action Plan · Provide short-term policy options (policy framework up to 2027) and policy recommendations in the next policy reform (from 2028 onwards).

This deep dive is part of the European R&I foresight and public engagement for Horizon Europe project. A number of tendencies seem to conspire together to threaten societies with forms of social dysfunction and perhaps breakdown. Social cohesion and social capital have declined very substantially over the last generation or so. So too have levels of trust – not only in how much people feel they can trust others, but also public trust in government and in major institutions.  Many occupations command much less respect than they used to, including politicians, the media, the police, banks and big business.   At the same time democracy is increasingly threatened by factors such as growing political polarisation, caused not only by the increasing numbers of people who believe in conspiracy theories, but also by the growing importance of money in politics, by the growth of inequality and the rise of populism and the far right. To this mix will be added high levels of disruption caused by the development of AI and other new technologies. This expert group on social confrontations is intended to draw attention to issues which may give rise to disruptive social confrontations in the future within the EU – regardless of the parties involved.  Indeed, factors such as the political complexion of governments may change whether a dispute is between social movements and civic authorities, within governments and parliamentary assemblies, or between social groups. We have tried to identify the likely root causes of disruptive confrontations while acknowledging that most forms of confrontation are likely to be multi-causal. Four scenarios depict diverging paths how the development of social confrontations in the EU might shape our future society. From these scenarios we derived policy implications with a link to issues for research and innovation.