Saint Petersburg, Russia – Professor Juan Antonio de Castro de Arespacochaga of Madrid’s Complutense University addressed the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2025, stating that most countries fundamentally change world reality through an increasingly multipolar and fragmented international order. Speaking at the opening session “Shaping a New Platform for Global Growth” organised by the National Centre of Russia, the economics professor emphasised that traditional trade rules no longer function in the new global dynamics, requiring fresh approaches to navigate economic and political fragmentation.
The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is held in Russia from June 18 to 21. The business program opened with the session “Shaping a New Platform for Global Growth,” where the final report on the results of the International Open Dialogue of the National Centre “Russia” was presented.
The session was dedicated to the current challenges of modernity: economic and political fragmentation, demographic changes, the consequences of breakthrough technology implementation, and social and technological gaps within and between countries.
A speaker from Spain, Juan Antonio de Castro de Arespacochaga, a doctor of economics and professor at Complutense University of Madrid, delivered a report on how the global majority of countries are changing reality.
“Today, most countries are not just participating in global processes—they are changing reality. We see how an increasingly flexible and multipolar world order is forming. World trade is becoming fragmented, fast, and technological, while the international system is becoming a network of preferential agreements, which distorts the principles laid down in the foundation of GATT and WTO,” noted Juan Antonio de Castro de Arespacochaga.
In his opinion, the world is becoming increasingly fragmented and unpredictable—this applies to politics and economics.
“The international trade architecture is breaking down into nodes and blocks, which requires new approaches. We must be able to respond to these challenges, understanding that the old rules no longer work in the new dynamics,” emphasised Juan Antonio de Castro de Arespacochaga.
Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation, moderated the session.
“It is important to conduct an open dialogue about how we build the world of the future and form a new platform for global growth. In which countries will this global growth occur, on which technologies will it be built, and on which principles and cultural code? Our task is to ensure that forward movement benefits people in all countries that, like Russia, are working on the future. It is through open dialogue that our future and its understanding are built,” noted Maxim Oreshkin.
At the session organised by the National Centre, speakers discussed, among other things, the report on the results of the Open Dialogue prepared by the Centre for Cross-Industry Expertise “Third Rome.” Key issues included factors shaping the new economic wave, technologies driving economic development, and ways to achieve human well-being.
The results of the session “Shaping a New Platform for Global Growth” became the foundation for the subsequent business program of SPIEF-2025. The session recording can be viewed on the National Centre “Russia” website.
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