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October 6, 2009
According to the UN, between now and 2025, the world population will increase by 20 % to reach 8 billion inhabitants (6.5 today). 97 % of this growth will occur in the developing countries and in 2025, the European Union will only account for 6.5 % of the world population. In this publication you will read about the trends which will shape the international environment, the tensions which will structure its development in the coming decades and the transitions towards a multi-polar world governance and towards a new "socio-ecological" production model that Europe will help to promote.
Recent developments in the world and the strong European commitment to a regulating globalisation argue in favour of a forward looking analysis. "The World in 2025″ first underlines the major future trends: geopolitical transformations in terms of population, economic development, international trade and poverty. Secondly, it identifies the likely tensions: natural resources (food, energy, water and minerals), migrations or urbanisation. Finally, it defines possible transitional pathways: towards a new production and consumption model, towards new rural-urban dynamics, towards a new gender and intergenerational balance. "Rising Asia and socio-ecological transition" is the explicit sub-title that could be an inspiring source for the future strategy of the European Union.
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