‘‘The EU on a mission: rethinking governance and policymaking’’ event, co-organised by Friends of Europe and SSH Centre, is taking place on 30 January in Brussels and will also be available to a wider audience via livestream.

One of the key ways the EU has sought to provide concrete solutions to the cross-cutting societal challenges of our time is by introducing ‘missions’, a novelty of the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme. EU missions intend to support Europe’s transformation into a greener, healthier, more inclusive and resilient continent by advocating for a drastic restructuring of governance and policymaking.

To achieve success, the missions require a fundamental change in the functioning of governments and institutions, and a redefinition of the relationship between businesses and governments. Three years into the programme, have we seen such a transformation?

In 2024, it will be crucial to define clear indicators for monitoring, increase synergies with the other programmes at the EU level and focus Research and Innovation investment on interdisciplinarity to integrate points of view from social science and humanities.

This Policy Insight is part of the SSH CENTRE (Social Sciences and Humanities for Climate, Energy and Transport Research Excellence) project. This project, supported by 13 leading organisations from across Europe including EERA, engages directly with stakeholders including researchers, policymakers, business representatives as well as civil society and citizens to strengthen social innovation, SSH-STEM collaboration and transdisciplinary policy advice, to accelerate the EU’s transition to carbon neutrality.

Discover more information about the event here.