2021

What's to come

Africa | 01 Jan Start of trading under AfCFTA Agreement Brussels | 01 Jan takes on rotating Council Presidency United Kingdom | 01 Jan The UK's post-Brexit transition period ends | 03 Jan 500th anniversary of the excommunication of Martin Luther | 05 Jan run−off for US Senate New York | 10 Jan 50th anniversary of the first meeting of the UN General Assembly | 10 Jan Kazakhstan parliamentary Uganda | 14 Jan Presidential and National Assembly elections January 18−21 Jan plenary session United States | 20 Jan Presidential inauguration Portugal | 24 Jan Presidential election 27 Jan International Holocaust Remembrance Day United Kingdom | 31 Jan First Brexit anniversary New York | 01 Feb 75 years since Trygve Lie elected as first UN Secretary General Ecuador | 07 Feb Presidential and parliamentary elections United States | 07 Feb Super Bowl LV 08−11 Feb European Parliament plenary session Somalia | 08 Feb Presidential election | 12 Feb Chinese New Year (year of the Ox) Rio de Janeiro | 12 Feb Carnival | 14 Feb Presidential election - 2nd round Jezero crater | 18 Feb NASA Mars−rover "Perseverance" scheduled to land February Munich | 19−21 Feb Munich Security Conference Laos | 21 Feb Parliamentary election | 21 Feb Presidential election - 2nd round Syria | 23 Feb 50 years of the Assad family in power Mars | TBC Arrival of Tianwen−1, Chinese robotic aircraft El Salvador | 28 Feb Parliamentary election Fulton | 05 Mar 75th anniversary of Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech Côte d'Ivoire | 06 Mar Legislative election 08 Mar International Women's Day 08−11 Mar European Parliament plenary session 17 Mar St. Patrick's Day The | 17 Mar Elections to the House of Representatives Curaçao | 19 Mar Legislative election Israel | 23 Mar Legislative election 24−25 Mar European Parliament plenary session March Brussels | 25−26 Mar European Council Brussels | 25−26 Mar ROSUMMIT | 28 Mar Parliamentary election Congo | TBC Presidential election Cabo Verde | TBC National Assembly election Beijing | TBC Presentation of the 14th Five Year Plan (2021−2025) Brussels | TBC Eastern Partnership Summit Virtual | 05−08 Apr Summit of the Americas Samoa | 09 Apr General and parliamentary elections | 09 Apr Presidential election | 10 Apr Presidential election Peru | 11 Apr General election | 11 Apr and 09 May Presidential election 13 Apr Beginning of Ramadan Havana | 19 Apr Raúl Castro retires after 62 years of Castro-led government in Cuba April Djibouti | 23 Apr Presidental election - 2nd round | 25 Apr Parliamentary elections 26−29 Apr European Parliament plenary session Syria | TBC Presidential elections | TBC By−elections Bandar Seri Begawan | TBC 38th ASEAN Summit Scotland (United Kingdom) | 06 May Parliamentary election European Union | 09 May Europe Day 17−20 May European Parliament plenary session Rotterdam | 18−22 May Eurovision Song Contest 19 May Buddha's Birthday Cyprus | 23 May Parliamentary election May | 23 May Legislative election New York | 24−29 May UN GGE final session Accra | 24−28 May African Development Bank and African Development Fund annual meeting European Union | 31 May−04 Jun European Union green week Gambia | 05 Jun Constitutional referendum | 05 Jun General election 05−08 Jul European Parliament plenary session Iraq | 06 Jun Legislative elections | 06 Jun Legislative elections 07−10 Jun European Parliament plenary session / | 11 Jun−10 Jul CONMEBOL Copa America Europe | 11 Jun−11 Jul UEFA Euro 2020 Dubai | 14−16 Jun Middle East Energy Summit United Kingdom | 15−18 Jul British Open June Iran | 18 Jun Presidential election 23−24 Jun European Parliament plenary session Tokyo | 23 Jul−08 Aug Summer Olympics in Brussels | 24−25 Jun European Council France | 26 Jun−18 Jul Tour de France United Kingdom | 28 Jun−11 Jul Wimbledon 01 Jul takes on presidency of the European Union China | 01 Jul 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China Sao Tomé | TBC Presidential election July Oceania | 05 Aug 50 years since the establishment of the Pacific Islands Forum Eugene, Oregon | 06−15 Aug Athletics World Championship Zambia | 12 Aug Presidential and National Assembly elections Copenhagen | 12−22 Aug World Pride 15 Aug Feast of the Assumption Mecca | 17−22 Aug Hajj August Tokyo | 24 Aug−05 Sep Paralympic Games Taiwan | TBC Referendum on nuclear power and ban on pork imports United States | 30 Aug−12 Sep United States Open Hong Kong | 05 Sep Legislative Council election (postponed from 2020) Rabat | 05−06 Sep MENA Innovation Summit Americas | 06 Sep Labor Day Kigali | 06−12 Sep Intra−African Trade Fair 08 Sep International Literacy Day New York City | 11 Sep Patriot Day (20th anniversary of 09/11) | 13 Sep Parliamentary election 13−16 Sep European Parliament plenary session September 14 Sep 700 years since Dante's death New York | 14−30 Sep 76th Session of the UN General Assembly 16 Sep Yom Kippur | 19 Sep Parliamentary election 21 Sep International Day of Peace 26 Sep International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons Dubai | 01 Oct−31 Mar World Expo 02 Oct International Day of Non−violence 04−07 Oct European Parliament plenary session Czechia | 08−09 Oct Legislative elections United States | 11 Oct Columbus Day 13 Oct International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction Brussels | 14−15 Oct European Council 18−21 Oct European Parliament plenary session Japan | 22 Oct General and House of Representatives elections England | 23− 27 Oct 2021 Rugby League World Cup | 23 Oct Parliamentary election Germany | 24 Oct Parliamentary election October Argentina | 24 Oct Legislative election 24− 30 Oct UN Disarmament Week Dubai | 27−28 Oct Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Annual Meeting Rome | 30−31 Oct G20 Summit Cabo Verde | TBC Presidential election | TBC Consultative Assembly (Shura Council) elections 31 Oct Halloween 31 Oct World Cities Day 31 Oct Launch of the James Webb Space Telescope | 04 Nov Diwali Nicaragua | TBC Presidential and legislative elections Glasgow | 09−19 Nov UN Conference 10−11 Nov European Parliament plenary session Russia | 11 Nov 200th anniversary of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's birth Compiègne | 11 Nov 103rd anniversary of | 11−13 Nov Paris Peace Forum Germany | 14 Nov 190th anniversary of Friedrich Hegel's death November | 21 Nov General election 22−25 Nov European Parliament plenary session United States | 25 Nov Thanksgiving 28 Nov−06 Dec Hannukkah Celebration Bulgaria | 30 Nov Presidential election 01 Dec World AIDS day 04 Dec Total solar eclipse Gambia | 04 Dec Presidential election Vienna | 05 Dec 230th anniversary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's death 10 Dec World Human Rights Day 13−16 Dec European Parliament plenary session Israel | 15 Dec 60 years since Adolf Eichmann was sentenced to death December | 24 Dec Presidential and legislative elections 25 Dec Christmas Russia | 26 Dec 30th anniversary of the dissolution of the Soviet Union Germany | 27 Dec 450th anniversary of Johannes Kepler's birth How 2020 IDEAS changed the future

The future is never set in stone – it changes according to what happens in the present. 2020 changed the future in more ways than one. Find out how below!

Set for release in 2021, Climate Trace launched its first ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYTIC TOOL capable of tracking polluters and CO2 emitters worldwide and in real time.

In 2020, the first ZERO-FOSSIL-FUEL-POWERED AIRCRAFT was tested on a flight in North London. The plane uses hydrogen-electric power.

In September 2020, Volocopter launched the first TAXI DRONE FLIGHT in the Paris region. A demo vehicle is expected to be presented during the Paris Olympic Games in 2024.

In 2020, WEDEW and the World Food Programme signed an agreement to install water generators TURNING VAPOUR INTO DRINKABLE WATER, in camps in Uganda and Tanzania.

In 2020 top US hospitals started to use X-RAY VISION HEADSETS to conduct surgery.

The 2020 pandemic encouraged experts to develop VACCINES IN LESS THAN A YEAR, using the Covid-19 genetic sequence instead of the virus itself.

The first FULL-BODY WEARABLE ROBOT was released in 2020, designed to help wearers carry weight up to 90kg.

In 2020, international clothing brands started to sell CLOTHES MADE FROM CIRCULOSE, a biodegradable process that retrieves cotton from worn clothes.

In August 2020, Elon Musk presented the first IMPLANTED BRAIN MICROCHIP connected to a computer.

In 2020, Rambouillet became the pilot project for URBAN BIOLUMINESCENT LIGHTING.

For the first time, 46% of US voters VOTED BY MAIL during the Presidential elections.

A HOME PLANETARIUM which projects 4.1 million stars became available for sale.

By May 2020, all international organisations were holding STRATEGIC-LEVEL MEETINGS ONLINE - a first.

© European Union Institute for Security Studies, 2021. print online Published by the EU Institute for Security Studies and printed in by Bietlot. ISBN 978-92-9462-000-2 ISBN 978-92-9462-001-9 : Publications Office Catalogue number QN-03-21-027-EN-C Catalogue number QN-03-21-027-EN-N of the European Union, 2021. DOI 10.2815/327241 DOI 10.2815/798426