October, 2025

WIP Forum 2025: Digital innovation and talent at the center of the debate in Barcelona

The World in Progress Forum (WIP) is a high-level international gathering that convenes institutional, business, and academic leaders to reflect on major global challenges—from technological transformation and innovation to sustainability, governance, and economic security. Held annually in Barcelona, the forum has solidified its position as a space for strategic dialogue where trends defining Europe’s economic and social future are analyzed. Through panels and debates featuring relevant figures from the public and private sectors, the WIP seeks to generate shared visions on progress and the role of innovation as an engine for development.

The second day of the World in Progress Forum 2025, held in Barcelona on October 20th and 21st, placed digital transformation, cybersecurity, and technological talent at the center of the international dialogue on the economic and institutional future.
Figures such as Marco Patuano (Cellnex) warned that ‘privacy is not viewed the same way in Europe as in the US,’ while the Catalan Councilor Albert Dalmau reminded attendees that ‘there is no turning back on the path of digitalization, but human interaction is also necessary.
Although the forum’s agenda addressed multiple global challenges—energy, governance, sustainability—innovation emerged as a cross-cutting theme: an axis of cohesion between politics, business, and citizenship.

From La Brújula, we interpret that the WIP 2025 debate reflects a key trend for Europe: the urgency of linking digitalization with trust and human talent. It is not enough to simply invest in technology; the real challenge lies in designing innovative frameworks that balance competitiveness, ethics, and social well-being.

📎 Source: El País – Foro World in Progress 2025 de Barcelona, en directo