In the face of declining competitiveness, the advance of climate change and the digital revolution, as well as an increasingly uncertain geopolitical environment, the EU and its member states face major challenges that can only be addressed together. For this reason, sixty young leaders from Germany and Italy spent two months working on key European future issues. In four online and offline workshops, they developed policy recommendations for both national governments:
In the field of economic growth and social cohesion, the focus lay on combining competitiveness and sustainability, expanding German-Italian exchange programmes in vocational training, and strategies to strengthen rural areas.
The working group on security and defence policy proposed enhanced industrial cooperation and new forms of collaboration between government, business and experts, including strategic forums and roundtables, to improve resilience against hybrid threats.
The climate and energy working group addressed the promotion of sustainable industrial clusters, the accelerated expansion of European energy grids, scientific partnerships with small island developing states, and adjustments to the CBAM to better support climate-friendly production in third countries.
Working on AI regulation and governance, the fourth group proposed solutions for increased transparency of energy use by AI companies, AI sandboxes for sustainable and human-rights-compliant models, and targeted implementation of the AI Act.
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Spinelli Forum 2025, Registration
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Alessandro Gaudiano, Deputy Director General/Principal Director for the Countries of Europe, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
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Spinelli Forum 2025 Bags
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Welcome by Funda Tekin, IEP Director
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Welcome by Antonio Villafranca, Vice President for Research, ISPI
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Welcome by Catalina Cullas, Director for Relations with EU Member States, Cross-Border and Regional Cooperation, German Federal Foreign Office
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Welcome on Day 2 by Laura Worsch, Research Associate
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Participants during the Gallery Walk
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Group phase
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Preparation of the Gallery Walk
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Participants during the Gallery Walk
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Participants during the Gallery Walk
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Keynote Speech by Fabrizio Bucci, Ambassador of Italy to Germany
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Keynote Speech by Christoph Wolfrum, Director-General for European Affairs, German Federal Foreign Office
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Presentation of the Policy Recommendations
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Presentation of the Policy Recommendations
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Group phase
Based on the results of the online workshops, during the first day of the conference, participants refined their problem definitions and brainstormed recommendations; the day concluded with a reception at the Italian Embassy in Berlin. On the second day, the groups finalised their proposals and presented them to all participants during a Gallery Walk. In the final presentation of the policy recommendations, participants received constructive feedback from Fabrizio Bucci, Ambassador of Italy to Germany, and Christoph Wolfrum, Director-General for European Affairs at the German Federal Foreign Office. The policy recommendations will be published on the IEP website shortly.
The Spinelli Forum is a joint initiative of the German Federal Foreign Office and Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, organised by IEP and ISPI and financially supported by the European Commission. In 2025, it took place for the fifth time.
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