Ideas Factory is ... The Ideas Factory is an exclusive place for young, bright thinkers to come and discuss the issues that burn deep in their hearts, but flicker weakly in the European public debate. The Ideas Factory puts pan-European dilemmas affecting the young generation on the agenda and offers a different perspective from today’s policy-makers. Ideas Factory: the policy revolution How you would do things differently if you were in charge What does Europe mean for young Europeans? The European Union rose from the ruins of Europe with a commitment never to repeat the tragedies of two world wars. But while peace and prosperity have been brought to the continent, conviction and confidence in the EU project have waned. Our generation faces choices, problems and challenges which are not shared by the “baby boomers” and “golden oldies”. There is now a yawning gulf between our concerns and those of today’s policy-makers. This is contributing to a widespread disaffection - or just apathy - with traditional politics amongst young people across Europe. Issues such as the growing number of super-educated but unemployed, crises of identity, changing work/life balances, changing demography, the environment, or simply values and lifestyle, need to be better understood, openly debated and more clearly communicated to decision-makers, and the older and younger generations. Politicians and policy-makers view the challenges facing Europe through the prism of their own experiences and expectations, but how would we do things differently if we were in charge? How would we adapt policies at local, national and EU level to take account of changing realities, and respond to the needs and concerns of the new generation? Who is dealing most effectively with our emerging concerns? As the sheepish ovation to the 50th anniversary of the Treaty fades, the European Policy Centre has relaunched the Ideas Factory. As those who will shape the next 50 years, how could we respond to those issues which will affect us most closely? Ideas Factory will generate and consider some of the key questions young people are asking themselves, and seek to provide some answers, bringing a fresh perspective to the European policy-making debate. Rather than follow the EU policy agenda, it will focus on the debates that most closely affect this generation. These issues will be identified and debated at brainstorming meetings and through an online forum, with participants invited to send contributions and thoughts for the Ideas Factory website – ranging from short commentaries to suggestions for longer articles and papers – to stimulate thinking on Europe’s future. Topics can be broad-ranging and could include: Why should I pay taxes when I have little prospect of being supported by the state in my old age? Would I be willing to die for my country, let alone Europe? Are traditional party politics an anachronism in the new wired, media-savvy, issue-based world? Can – and should - Europe be sold to the new electorate? For more information, please contact Elizabeth Collett by email: ideasfactory@epc.eu