Shaping Europe’s Sustainable Future: Cohesion Policy, Strategic Investments, and Citizen Engagement in the Green and Digital Transition

This plenary lecture addresses a central question at the heart of contemporary European
governance: to what extent can individuals shape the direction of European Union policies and investments? By examining Cohesion Policy as one of the EU’s most significant financial and strategic instruments, the presentation bridges institutional analysis with the often underexplored dimension of individual agency. Drawing on the 2021–2027 Cohesion Policy framework, the lecture analyses how targeted investments are mobilised to advance the green and digital transitions while reinforcing climate, policy, and socio-economic resilience. Particular focus is placed on key areas where these dynamics are most visible and impactful, including affordable housing and island regions. At the same time, the lecture critically engages with the proposed Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028–2034, highlighting emerging priorities, structural shifts in EU budgetary governance, and the growing importance of strategic flexibility. In this forward-looking perspective, special attention is given to the role of individuals – policy experts, diplomats, and engaged national, regional and local stakeholders – in influencing policy design, negotiating priorities, and shaping investment outcomes. By combining analytical depth with a reflective and forward-looking approach, the lecture argues that Europe’s sustainable transformation is not only a matter of financial capacity and institutional design, but also of informed, strategic, and persistent individual engagement within complex governance systems.