NASA's new initiative (SEI) has the current final goal (some day they want to go to mars with the, basically, same hardware) to set foot on the moon by 2020 and to maintain a steady exploration from then on onwards. On the first look, their plan doesn't seem overly ambitious and risky (if one can talk about anything not  being risky in spaceflight). NASA's administrator Michael Griffin called the whole program "Apollo on Steroids", referring to NASA's moon program of the sixties.
 

Which will be the future launcher systems for Europe? To answer this question ESA started in 2004 the Future Launcher Preparatory Program (or FLPP). But let us first look on the current situation.

Currently ESA has access to space through the Ariane-5 launcher, operated by its commercial offset Arianespace. Developed as a cheaper and more powerful successor of the very successful launcher family Ariane-4, the Ariane-5 is available in three models. The generic version G (currently upgraded to Ariane-5 GS), the heavy-lift model ECA and a modified vehicle for transporting the ISS supply craft ATV, called Ariane-5 ES-ATV.