In light of recent global developments, it’s clearer than ever that Europe must stand on its own as a global force—taking full responsibility for its defense, trade, and cultural identity. This shift is both a painful awakening and a rare opportunity: to rethink and redesign the future we want to inhabit. 

As Europeans, it’s time to ask: what should we Keep, Stop, Start  in order to design a stronger, resilient, and visionary future?

Keep What must we protect? What do we cherish as citizens and as a society?

Stop What should we let go of? What are outdated practices, sentiments and actions to leave behind in the past?

Start What must we urgently begin? What is needed to prepare for what’s ahead?

This is not just about politics or policy. It’s about cultural imagination, collective responsibility, and design as a strategic tool for transformation. Join us as we reflect and define how to take our next steps into Europe’s next chapter.

Mads Quistgaard is the Founding Partner and Design Director of Urgent.Agency, former Honorary Associate Professor at Design School Kolding, Board Member of the Danish Design Council, and member of The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture, Design and Conservation. My work has been recognised with the Knud V. Engelhardt Memorial Scholarship, Danish Design Awards, Red Dot – Best of the Best, Creative Circle Gold Award, and the Total Publishing Prize. Designs Mads has created are exhibited at the Danish Design Museum and featured in international publications.

Change is Mads’ driving force, and design is the medium through which he pursues it. He is passionate about fostering cultural imagination, collective responsibility, and a stronger sense of shared identity. Today, design holds unprecedented influence—and with it, a duty to act with urgency across every sector of life. Right now, Mads’ focus is on Europe: how we might discover a common call, something we can all embrace, identify with, and ultimately protect.