The Delivery Gap: Future-Proofing EU Policymaking
The European Union is being asked to deliver on increasingly ambitious objectives, from competitiveness and industrial transformation to defence, sustainability, energy security, migration management and social resilience. Yet across policy areas, a gap often emerges between political ambition and real-world delivery. Rules are adopted, strategies are launched and targets are set, but implementation, coordination and predictability do not always follow, risking a widening gap between the expectations of citizens, social partners and stakeholders, and the EU's ability to meet them. The EPC’s Delivery Gap: Future-Proofing EU Policymaking project explores how EU policymaking can become more effective in an era of growing complexity and uncertainty. Taking an evidence-based and constructive approach, and structured in two phases, it will assess delivery challenges across policy areas and different stages of the policymaking cycle and develop practical recommendations to strengthen and future-proof the EU’s capacity to deliver.
Phase 1: 2026
The first phase of the project will run throughout 2026. It will identify systemic delivery challenges drawing on developments in multiple policy fields and develop cross-cutting recommendations. The project will launch on 1 July 2026 with an inaugural meeting bringing together supporting organisations and key stakeholders. Throughout the remainder of 2026, the EPC will convene the Effective Delivery Forum, chaired by EPC Chief Executive Fabian Zuleeg. The Forum will bring together representatives of EU institutions, business, regional actors, civil society and other stakeholders to exchange practical experience and discuss solutions. The project will also include structured stakeholder interviews and EPC publications.
Phase 2: 2027
Building on Phase 1, a second phase is envisaged for 2027. It would focus on specific policy areas where delivery challenges are particularly visible, translating cross-cutting findings into targeted and sectoral recommendations.
Participation: The project is supported by EPC members and partners interested in improving the quality, predictability and effectiveness of EU policymaking. Organisations interested in contributing to or participating in the project are encouraged to contact: Alberto Neidhardt, Senior Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre, ah.neidhardt@epc.eu
