At the conclusion of the European Tolerance Talks 2025, the Board of Trustees of the Carinthian Democracy Workshop Denk.Raum.Fresach adopted a policy paper for a new understanding of the current global situation. The “Fresach World Order” provides explanations for historical developments and proposals for the future of Europe in an increasingly turbulent environment. Every single citizen is called upon to actively advocate for peace and freedom. The “old West” idealized many things and perhaps misjudged them strategically, but after World War II, it built a functioning, rules-based world based on mutual respect and global cross-border cooperation. This “old” world is now under threat. Russia’s illegal attack on Ukraine, the current US administration’s tariff and trade war, the termination of international obligations and security guarantees, and much more have broken trust built over decades. It is clear that resistance to autocratic and dictatorial tendencies creates new chaos, the paper states. But it can also accelerate the transition to a just, democratic order. The European Union must actively and consistently represent its values and find allies worldwide so that a new world order can prevail without wars and bloody conflicts. “The EU must contribute to ensuring that international organizations function effectively and that power within them is distributed more fairly: Europe can provide hope and confidence in the future!” The new world order speaks of a Europe of opportunities, one that is renewing itself economically and fostering a climate of innovation and creativity by reducing bureaucracy and excessive legislation. Europe must be determined and ready to seize its opportunities and defend its values – against chaos, against disruption, against irritating fake news, against insults to its culture, but also against hybrid and military attacks and against terrorism. This requires not only the leading politicians of liberal democracies, but each and every individual. About the Fresach Declarations The final declarations of the Fresach European Tolerance Talks have a long tradition. The Fresach Declaration on Tolerance was written in 2015, followed by a declaration on climate change in 2016. This was followed by the Fresach Freedom Charter in 2017, and the European Charter in 2018. In 2019, the DRF organizers published a Regional Charter, in 2020 the Corona Declaration, in 2021 a Fairness Charter, in 2022 a Declaration on the Turning Point, in 2023 the Growth Charter, and in 2024 the Truth Charter. All declarations are available for download at: https://www.fresach.org/downloads/
