Europe is engaged in an intense debate about digital sovereignty and global technological competition – but one crucial aspect is often overlooked: the question of standards. Yet standards are the foundation for trillion-euro...

With “Ensuring Impact – A Guide to Effective Set-up and Follow-up of Citizen Participation”, the Bertelsmann Stiftung, together with the Federation for Innovation in Democracy Europe (FIDE), publishes a comprehensive guide for...

The second Trump administration has made a U-turn on industrial policy designed to support decarbonisation, while making a protectionist trade policy its hallmark. US tariffs make the global trade environment extremely...

Global uncertainties, geopolitical tensions, technological upheavals, and ecological crises are challenging the German economy as rarely before. The Bertelsmann Stiftung's new study, “Competitiveness and Resilience Despite the...

The new US tariffs are placing significant pressure on Germany and other export-oriented EU economies. In response, the EU is intensifying its efforts to conclude additional trade agreements and to deepen existing ones. However,...

Democracy once had it easier. Its global influence is declining, social conflicts are hardening, and trust in state institutions is eroding. At the same time, people are demanding more participation and a stronger sense of...

With the publication of the proposal for the Digital Omnibus Regulation on 19 November 2025, the European Commission has initiated a new phase of European digital policy. The aim is to simplify and better align key legal acts such...

„Die Welt, wie wir sie kannten“ – gibt es sie noch? Schauen wir genau hin, merken wir, dass alles im Wandel ist. Was braucht es heute also, um Transformation erfolgreich zu meistern? In dieser Ausgabe erzählen wir von Best...