A Shared European Responsibility
Held on 8 May 2026 at the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy in Munich, as part of “Munich Creative Business Week”, the Forum invited the European design community to reflect on the often invisible habits, structures, and assumptions shaping products and services. Discussions highlighted that despite existing knowledge and tools, many systems remain non‑inclusive, underscoring the need for stronger, more integrated design policy frameworks across Europe.
“Design must no longer be treated as an afterthought but embedded as a core driver of decision-making at political and organisational levels.” – Christina Melander, Danish Design Centre
MADres and the European Policy Landscape
The MADres project, BEDA’s EU-funded initiative, served as a key reference point, mapping design policy across Europe and supporting more coherent, inclusive, and responsible governance. Contributions from European institutions, including the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), further underlined the growing relevance of design protection, regulation, and awareness within Europe’s innovation ecosystem.
Beyond Thoughtless Design
Across panels, deep dives, and informal exchanges, participants explored how regulation and policy can protect design quality while enabling innovation, accessibility, and inclusion. A shared understanding emerged: design is inherently civic and political, shaping choices, distributing responsibility, and anchoring values in everyday life.
The BEDA Design Forum 2026 was structured around three interconnected themes: advancing accessibility and inclusion across physical, digital, and civic environments; positioning design as a strategic enabler in policymaking and public-sector innovation; and strengthening design protection and regulation through EU-level instruments and standards. Together, these pillars underscored a clear message that Europe already has the tools and data needed to act — the challenge now is scaling and embedding them.
The Forum brought together Europe’s diverse design ecosystem across regions, disciplines, and professional backgrounds. It marked a step toward positioning design as a strategic driver of Europe’s digital, ecological, and social transitions, while reaffirming BEDA’s role as a pan-European facilitator of responsible design leadership.
Find out more about BEDA Design Forum and the speakers: CLICK HERE
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About MADres
MADres is a strategic initiative by BEDA and co-funded by the European Union.
The initiative advances design as a key enabler of Europe’s transformation for sustainable growth and economic value.
MADres aims to strengthen the European design community and deepen expertise in three focus areas: AI competencies and digital ethics, planetary design and accessibility, and business cases and development.
To sustain this, MADres ensures long-term impact by developing a Living Design Policy Framework—a flexible, adaptive model equipping our governments and institutions to integrate design into national and EU-level policy agendas.
About BEDA
BEDA, the Bureau of European Design Associations, is a pan-European advocacy with around 50 member organisations in nearly all European countries – representing millions of designers.
BEDA speaks for the design community and influences policy development among members and in turn their governments.
BEDA champions the role of designers in a business and a social context, promoting all organisations and governments to embrace design methodologies to solve complex problems and to lead innovative practices.
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Media Kit includes: image, logos, quotes, CC licence and press release texts in English, Spanish, German, Italian and French.