NEW PARADIGM
The Berlin Summit 2025: What we learned, what lies ahead
Building on the Berlin Declaration, international experts discussed how industrial, climate, and globalization policies can be rethought—in a forward-looking, fair, and effective manner.
BY
THOMAS FRICKEPUBLISHED
16. JUNE 2025READING TIME
2 MIN
“The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.” What the philosopher Antonio Gramsci wrote about the 1930s rings true again in 2025. But what will the new world look like? What will replace the old order shaped by faith in free markets and globalization? What does forward-looking industrial policy look like—one that doesn’t just react to crises? What kind of climate policy truly brings people on board? And what might a better steered globalization look like—without trade wars or the abuse of power by tech giants?
From June 11 to 13, leading thinkers from around the world came together to explore these questions at the second Berlin Summit—building on last year’s Berlin Declaration: Taking back the future. On Wednesday and Thursday in smaller working groups; on Friday, we opened the doors to a wider public. The setting: the Stober Estate on the edge of Berlin.
In the coming weeks, we’ll share key outcomes from the Summit, dive deeper into the questions raised, and offer perspectives for what’s next.
Until then, you can revisit highlights from the third day here.