In Brief
The public services sector in Europe is a fundamental pillar of modern societies, encompassing essential services such as health, labor, social security, internal security, defence, and justice. A key challenge lies in adapting to demographic shifts, evolving citizen expectations, and growing security concerns amid increasing crises and shocks. Technological innovation presents both opportunities and challenges, as public services must integrate digital solutions to enhance efficiency and responsiveness. Digitalization simplifies administrative processes, optimizes resource management, and reduces costs. However, it also raises concerns regarding cybersecurity, user experience, and data protection.
At the same time the current geopolitical situation has intensified debates on Europe's strategic sovereignty. Global instability, the war in Ukraine, and economic dependencies on external actors highlight the urgency of strengthening resilience and autonomy, particularly in defence, energy, and digital infrastructure. Public services play a crucial role in this effort, ensuring operational continuity during crises and minimizing vulnerabilities. European governments are prioritizing supply chain security, independent technological capabilities, and stronger cooperation among member states to safeguard public services from geopolitical risks.
With our Next Perspectives 2025, we highlight the 10 most important future trends and provide recommendations for European public services. We are convinced that a successfully digitally transformed European society is essential for preserving democratic values. Since all European societies face similar challenges, fostering cross-border solutions and formulating collective responses is a priority.
Our trends address the dual challenge currently facing the public sector: the urgent modernization of digital public infrastructure as a foundation for the future legitimacy of democratic governance, while consistently integrating sovereignty requirements. Strengthening Europe’s digital autonomy, securing critical infrastructures, and reducing external dependencies are central to this transformation. Aligning digital progress with sovereignty considerations will enhance resilience and sustain trust in democratic institutions.