In a high-level discussion with the Ministers for the Future (“Ministers of Future”) of the member states of the European Union, the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Maroš Šefčovič, and the Prime Minister of Finland, Petteri Orpo, the Minister of State participated, Stavros Papastavrou. Issues of strategic long-term (foresight) were at the center of the discussion, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Future Committee in Finland.

Mr. Papastavrou pointed out “the future today brings more uncertainties than ever. Whether it is technology, climate change, resource management or immigration and demographics, the pace of change often outstrips the pace of adaptation,” adding that “anyone who plans for tomorrow without studying and taking into account the rapid changes , risks being stuck in the toxic yesterday.”

The Minister of State emphasized that “in 2022, the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, established the Special Secretariat for Long-Term Planning at the Presidency of the Greek Government, headed by Yannis Mastrogeorgiou, which I have the honor to supervise. Since then, in a short period of time, we have made rapid changes and cultivated a new mindset in public policy and governance.”

“Greece is moving strongly in this direction. The challenges the future holds are many. Foresight enables us to be better prepared to deal with them”, he characteristically concluded.

The Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Mr. Šefčovič, immediately afterwards, addressing the Minister of State, praised the steps Greece has taken in the field of foresight.

The Special Secretary for Long-Term Planning, Mr. Yannis Mastrogeorgiou, also participated in the discussion.

Credit to Greece for the foresight

Greece recently received the praise of the Joint Research Center of the European Commission, regarding the operation of the Special Secretariat for Long-Term Planning at the Presidency of the Greek Government, which it characterized as “good and innovative practice”.
Strategic long-term planning (foresight) is a practice for detecting future risks and threats, as well as exploring potential opportunities for Greece.

In this context, it is an institutional tool in the hands of the Greek Government for the planning of sustainable policies for the future, a process in which the participation of Greek society is consistently preferred. At the same time, it highlights the importance of processing data and trends, with the ultimate goal of defining scientific models and decision-making standards.

In addition, foresight is a key element of a resilient, coherent and effective regulatory framework. It is therefore inextricably linked to good law-making practices, as it gives the legislative work a forward-looking perspective and, by extension, consensus.

In particular, in the current parliamentary process, a series of bills have been voted on the basis of a long-term strategic plan, with many of them having received a positive vote from more than one parliamentary group.