slides for the talk at the "Getting into the Right Lane for 2050" launch event, Brussels, Nov. 30th, 2009.

1. Current Challenges for the Future Transformation of the EU dr. Žiga Turkprofessor, University of Ljubljana, SloveniaSecretary General, Reflection Group on the Future of EU, Brussels.

2. Disclaimer the views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the organizations he is affiliated with

3. Contents we living in the virtual and borrowing from the future there are real and current challenges: A,B,C,D can we go on? we can rely on 3 resources and match them to the challenges

4. Our civilization is loosing touch with the real and with the present

5. We increasingly live in the virtual worlds of the Internet …

6. We live in the media “reality”

7. We watch spin-umentariesnot doc-umentaries

8. We are borrowing from the future

9. … borrowing to live beyond our means.

10. … borrowing profits.

11. … borrowing resources.

12. … borrowing capacity to absorb CO2.

13. … borrowing from future taxpayers.

14. While we should try to make go with the real and the present and reward it!

15. Crisis was a warning that we can not sustain blowing the bubbles some people and states living beyond their means financial markets not investing in new but changing the price of the old detaching itself from the real economy price hikes of oil returned the sense of reality which spread to other sectors

16. But there are challenges deeper than the crisis A – abundance, conceptual economy B – BRICS, globalization C – climate change D – demography ABCD

17. (A) We can not sustain our industrial, consumptioneconomy

18. (B) We can not sustain our dominant role in the world

19. (C) We can not sustain the climate

20. (D) We are not sustaining the population

21. ABCDare historic A – end of industrial, information age, dawn of conceptual economy (19th century) B – end of the dominance of the west (15th century) C – end of below ground energy and fossil fuels D – end of GDP growth pattern linked to population growth

22. “The trouble with our times is … … that the future is not what it used to be.” Paul Valery (French Poet, Essayist and Critic, 1871-1945)

23. So can we go on?

24. Yes!

25. Because a key element of our civilization is values, innovation and creativity … of the people

26. In fact, we have three resources the people the sun the Union

27. People’s hearts, their values, their care, the right side brain

28. People’s Minds, the rationality, the left side brain

29. The sun

30. The union

31. people sun To be more specific rely on European values and care for nature and fellow human step up R&D in new renewable energy technology and energy efficiency energy efficiency now and overhaul of EU energy production by 2050 use the added value of the union size and power of the common market economy of scale synergies of r&d impact in member states impact in the world union

32. In conclusion we must get back to reality Abundance, BRICs, Climate Change Demography are the key challenges of the future in Europe we have the peoples hearts and minds the sun and the tools of the European Union to address them we must change lanes now!

33. “When it comes to your future there is no time like the present!” BNP Paribas ad.

34. Acknowledgements photos:Google photo search, Flickr charts:Erste Bank, Stanford University, WEO, IMF, NASA more information, author contact at www.zTurk.com