Political Symposium

At the annual Political Symposium, Das Progressive Zentrum brings together over 100 selected decision-makers from politics, the economy, civil society, and academia once a year to engage in confidential debates on the trade-offs and success factors of a just transition.

Political Symposium 2025: An Agenda of Responsibility

Germany’s self-assurance is being challenged from both within and without: the European security architecture is faltering, liberal democracy is under pressure, the German economic model is losing its momentum, and the social contract is becoming fragile. In this situation, responsibility is more than just a political buzzword – it is a guiding principle for action where rules are lacking and certainties are fading.

At the Political Symposium on 4 December 2025, we discussed what it means to take responsibility for Germany today – and how a new capacity to act can emerge in an era of geopolitical upheaval and social tension. Three thematic strands focused on responsibility for economic strength, responsibility for security, and responsibility for trust in institutions and social justice.

Past Conferences

Political Symposium 2024: Progressive Security and Reforming the German Model

At the Political Symposium on 5 December 2024, we discussed political responses to the increased need for security in regions, economic sectors, and social groups particularly affected by the transition. We believe that new concepts of “Progressive Security” are required to provide a valuable framework for orientation in reforming Germany’s traditional economic model.

Political Symposium 2023: How Much Conflict Can the Transition Withstand?

At the Political Symposium on 28 June 2023, we debated the following key questions:

• How can the promise of progress, with which the SPD, Green and FDP coalition took office in December 2021, be reconciled with the reality of the climate crisis?
• How can the coalition succeed in using its internal differences constructively to create a new sense of common purpose?
• How can the transition succeed as a project for society as a whole, supported by a broad majority?
• How much conflict can the transition withstand?
• Which economic and social policy strategies are best suited to making the transition as effective and just as possible? 

Political Symposium 2022: Progress Out of Crisis

Times of war are times of scarcity. Raw materials, energy, food, labour, and capital are no longer available to the extent they were when the SPD, Green and FDP government first took office. Broken supply chains, droughts, and demographic change are further exacerbating the supply crisis. This makes the just transition towards a climate-neutral society significantly more difficult, and questions of distribution are arising with renewed intensity.