Renewed Social Contract

Initiative

About

Review our Renewed Social Contract roadmap through 2030

Towards a Renewed Social Contract for Europe

The social contract is a tacit agreement among members of a society – the state, citizens, as well as private and civil society sectors – that defines their mutual relationships, respective responsibilities, shared values and expectations of each other.

Forged in an era of post-war European integration, Europe’s 20th-century social contract introduced ground-breaking concepts which were intended for the betterment of society.

But times have changed, and post-war institutions, regulations and laws are no longer able to keep pace with the societies they are meant to serve. The digital, green and demographic transitions are defining our times and demand new approaches.

Mounting challenges and crises have brought societal concerns, confusion and frustrations to a breaking point in the new millennium, widening social inequality and leaving many groups feeling excluded. There is a deepening sense of disenfranchisement and cynicism as people and communities increasingly feel overlooked by the policies, politicians and politics of now.

The moment is ripe to radically rethink the ways in which citizens, the private sector, civil society and public institutions interact. To engender greater trust, hope and confidence, all parties must become equal shareholders and active participants in decision-making processes.

Friends of Europe believes that this should be done by renewing Europe’s social contract in a way which serves to promote equitable representation, meaningful engagement and fair inclusion of all members of society.

Friends of Europe and the Renewed Social Contract

Our journey began in 2018 as Europe’s democratic and economic fractures were becoming increasingly visible. We responded with our #EuropeMatters report, introducing the idea of a renewed social contract, mapping key trends and uncertainties shaping Europe’s future, and presenting four scenarios for 2030. We showed how the social contract was essential to restoring trust in the EU amid declining institutional legitimacy, stressing the centrality of tax as the core connector between governments, citizens and the private sector.

In 2019, Vision for Europe built on this foundation by surveying policymakers and experts to create a policy toolbox for European governance. We called for power-sharing, citizen engagement and institutional reform as pragmatic tools to make policymaking more participatory and responsive, arguing that trust depended on embedding citizens in decision-making.

In 2024, our sister reports 10 policy choices for a Renewed Social Contract for Europe and 2024 Voices: Citizens Speak Up! transformed earlier concepts into concrete proposals complemented by citizen-driven data insights – from accelerating carbon reduction and reforming EU fiscal strategy to engaging the private sector for social good. We emphasised that the social contract could no longer be an abstract goal but a political and institutional imperative, embedded in ideas of equity, redistribution and co-production. We made an earnest appeal to shift mindsets and behaviours towards addressing social problems, offering actionable policy choices and a dataset of citizen sentiments to leaders.

The citizen dimension continued in 2025 with a follow-up report, Voices for choices: data for decisions that matter, deep-diving into the experiences of young people across Europe and setting out a roadmap of timely, evidence-based insights for policymakers. And we continued to evolve our thinking on the 10 policy choices through our paper Europe’s social contract: the stakes have never been higher, which set out new and updated scenarios for where Europe may be headed based on latest data and developments within the frameworks of our 10 policy choices and foresight archetypes.

The 2029 European Parliament elections serve as the next key milestone for our work. Working towards that date, our objective is to shift mindsets and behaviours towards addressing social problems and to offer actionable policy choices to the leaders of today and tomorrow.

With the Renewed Social Contract serving as the overarching narrative of our work through 2030, we are engaging in an iterative process to refine the policy choices we offer to policymakers. These choices form the backbone of all our activities and are further supported by outreach to our multistakeholder network, which provides strategic guidance and foresight. We also continue to carry out citizen focus groups, surveys and polls to bolster the quality of discussions by providing an evidence base of citizen sentiments to guide decision-making.

If you wish to get involved with our Renewed Social Contract initiative, please let us know by contacting info@friendsofeurope.org.

Further reading:

The European Commission Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme

Friends of Europe is a beneficiary of the European Commission Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme.
The Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme was launched in 2021 and will run for seven years until 2027. It was created along with the 2021-2027 Justice programme under the Justice, Rights and Values Fund.
The CERV programme seeks to support and develop open, rights-based, democratic, equal and inclusive societies based on the rule of law. That includes a vibrant and empowered civil society, encouraging people’s democratic, civic and social participation and cultivating the rich diversity of European society, based on our common values, history and memory.
The CERV programme has four pillars:

Equality, Rights and Gender Equality – promoting rights, non-discrimination, equality (including gender equality), and advancing gender and non-discrimination mainstreaming
Citizens’ engagement and participation – promoting citizens engagement and participation in the democratic life of the Union, exchanges between citizens of different Member States, and raising awareness of the common European history
Daphne – fight violence, including gender-based violence and violence against children
Union values – protect and promote Union values

Civil society organisations active at local, regional, national and transnational level, as well as other stakeholders, can apply to receive CERV funding for initiatives aimed at citizens’ engagement, equality for all and the protection and promotion of rights and EU values.