The 18th BRICS Summit, held in New Delhi, marked the transformation of the grouping from a merely economic acronym to a negotiation platform on the direction of the world order. The New Delhi Declaration advocated for reform of the UN Security Council and international financial institutions, condemned protectionism, and called for greater participation of developing countries in shaping global rules. The BRICS bring together countries with distinct interests, regimes, and alliances, but they share the conviction that the international order can no longer be managed by a few.
In the economic field, the movement towards national currencies does not imply the immediate creation of a common currency nor the disappearance of the dollar. It is about reducing vulnerabilities, diversifying instruments, and building payment systems less subject to unilateral decisions. De-dollarization advances as a pragmatic process. On the technological agenda, the summit highlighted cooperation in open-source artificial intelligence, digital economy, intelligent industrial technologies, and joint training of engineers and scientists.
Divergences among members remain, particularly the border disputes between India and China and the conflicts involving Russia and Iran. Still, it was possible to reach common language on the Middle East, food and energy security, climate, supply chains, and global governance. Europe is invited to take the BRICS more seriously as an actor of multipolarity, in a context where traditional allies such as the United States seem less willing to preserve European balances.
