Time to Stand Up
Pragmatic Federalism as a Method to Land in the 21st Century: the Battle for the Energy, Digital and Defence Autonomies
THE FRAMEWORK OF THE CONFERENCE
In a period marked by geopolitical instability, economic fragmentation, technological disruption and environmental pressure, Europe can no longer afford strategic hesitation. As former President of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi stated before the European Parliament: “It is time to do something.”
Europe must build the autonomy, capacity, and political strength necessary not merely to defend the status quo, but to help shape a new world order. This requires ideas, leadership, and institutional courage.
This is the starting point of the Seventh Conference on the Europe of the Future, taking place at the Certosa di Pontignano from 11–13 June 2026.
The Conference is conceived as a high-level problem-solving exercise. Its goal is not to describe Europe’s challenges, but to produce concrete proposals capable of strengthening the Union and modernising the multilateral architecture that increasingly shows signs of technological and political obsolescence.
We are convinced that neither the passive defence of existing structures nor a retreat to nation-states offers a viable path forward.
The Conference will therefore focus on seven fundamental trade-offs that Europe must address in order to remain relevant and resilient. These questions will structure the Pontignano Manifesto:
From erosion to leadership: How can Europe transform the weakening of the rule-based global order into an opportunity to lead the creation of a new one?
Defence and political integration: Can common defence reshape the Union — and what level of investment is required to secure European interests?
Innovation and digital sovereignty: Which combination of innovation policy, capital markets integration, and growth-oriented rules can secure Europe’s digital leadership?
Energy and climate security: How can Europe reduce structural energy dependency while strengthening its climate strategy?
Reforming the EU budget: How can spending mechanisms — from agriculture and cohesion to housing — become more effective and future-oriented?
Demographic decline: Is there a credible strategy to address Europe’s demographic crisis and restore long-term dynamism?
Institutional reform and democratic legitimacy: What institutional changes are realistically achievable in the short term, and how can European citizens become active participants rather than passive observers?
For each of these seven challenges, the Conference will generate concrete proposals to be promoted, tested, and debated across Europe.
THE AGENDA
The Siena Conference unfolds over three days:
Day I – Thursday, 11 June
Four Problem Setting / Solving Groups (PSSGs) will present policy options addressing four structural dilemmas:
Is there a choice between democracy and efficiency? How can the EU become the lab to strengthen transnational democracy in a post international law world? How can we make the EU project popular again?
Is the trade-off between regulations and competitiveness unavoidable? Can rules drive growth (with a focus on sustainability and digital)?
How much does defending ourselves really cost? Explore smart ways to build the strength needed by strategic autonomy in an efficient way
The “pragmatic federalism” paradigm: Why? What? When? A proposal to “do the thing” that Europe needs without being trapped by the catch-22 constitutional treaty paradox
Each group will begin its work in advance through dedicated preparatory webinars.
Day II – Friday, 12 June
Universities, think tanks, and political foundations from across the political spectrum will debate six draft strategic documents structured around six pillars essential to Europe’s future:
Energy independence: accelerating energy transition to enhance European energy security
New priorities for the EU budget (1): redesign cohesion policies around housing and demography
New priorities for the EU budget (2): a vision for agriculture and food for the reform on the Common Agricultural Policy
Building the European digital third way: create competitve advantages by making sense of the one trillion bet on AI (and refocus EU research programs on tangible market results)
A European security council for a European security strategy (a proposal)
Day III – Saturday, 13 June
The draft of the Pontignano Manifesto will be discussed, finalised, and presented to the media. Follow-up thematic events will take place in the months thereafter to sustain momentum and implementation.
The Conference is designed not as a one-off event, but as a catalyst for long-term European reform.
THE PARTNERS
Vision convenes the 7th Edition of the Siena Conference thanks to several partnership with important national and international institutions and actors. The scientific partners which support the PSSGs are the European University Institute, the University of Siena, LUISS University, Ludovika University of Public Services and the Warsaw Institute. Additionally, Bruegel, SDA Bocconi and Re-Imagine Europa will support other sessions of the Conference.
All five political foundations of the five largest European political parties have joined the previous editions of the Conference. This guarantees the representation of the full spectrum of EU policy, making the conference a multi-partisan platform of dialogue and discussion. The political foundations that will partner with Vision in the seventh edition are: the Federation of European Progressive Studies (FEPS), the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), the Green European Foundation (GEF), and the Institute of European Democrats (IED).
The Media partners of previous editions of the Conference have been The Conversation, the global media agency that acts as a link between best universities and the general public, GEDI (La Repubblica and La Stampa) and Monrif group (Qn, Il Resto del Carlino, Il Giorno), the second and third major Italian publishers, RAI, Italy’s TV public broadcaster, and SKY.
Vision thanks a group of friends who have followed the endeavor with their wise suggestions and support. Amongst them: Maria Joao Rodrigues (Chair of the Board of Re-imagine Europa, Former President of FEPS and Former Portugal’s Minister), Bill Emmott (Chairman of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Former Editor-in-Chief of the Economist), Alexandra Borchardt (Lead Author at European Broadcasting Union and Senior Research Associate at Reuters Institute), Barbara Kolm (Member of Austria’s National Council with the Freedom Party and former Vice president of the Austrian Central Bank, President of the F.A. von Hayek Institut and director of the Austrian Economics Center), Sandro Gozi (MP for Renew Europe and Italy’s Former Minister for European Affaire), Turi Munthe (Media Entrepreneur and Board Member at GEDI), Stephen Kahn (Editor in-Chief at the Conversation). We also thank John Hooper (Correspondent for Italy and Vatican for the Economist) and Jan Piotrowski (Schumpeter columnist at the Economist).
About 100 people will participate at the Conference. They come from all EU countries and our most relevant neighborhood (UK, Turkey, USA, Africa, Middle East, Ukraine); the gender mix is a point of strength, and not fewer than one-third of the participants are under 30.
