For the ninth consecutive year, the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) is starting the new year with a series of presentations by some of its own policy analysts on ten of the major issues that are likely to shape the coming twelve months. The issues are: balancing scale with innovation for productivity, setting the 2040 climate target, taking the next steps towards European economic security, strengthening capacity to invest in the future, shaping the EU's future finances, waiting to move up a gear: European electric cars, helping the EU compete on artificial intelligence, strengthening the European defence industry, speeding up the return of irregular migrants, and restoring trust within the public sphere.