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ItalianoUpdated 23.08.2022
Under the annual theme The New Europe, more than 600 young scholars from 70 countries will work together with international decision-makers from politics, business, culture and science to develop ideas and solutions about the future of Europe in the Tyrolean town of Alpbach until 2 September 2022.
On 22 August, the European Forum Alpbach 2022 was opened at the Congress Centrum Alpbach. The war against Ukraine has awakened Europe from a deep sleep. The Europe of today is weakened because it has lost its economic, political and social leadership over the last 15 years and neglected its defence.
EFA President Andreas Treichl, also addressed this in his opening speech: "Seven weeks after the end of the Second World War in Europe, a group of resistance fighters, academics and young people came together to discuss the future of Europe. This laid the foundation for our Forum," Treichl explained. "The world has changed massively since then. Today, autocratic forces are on the rise. If we want to secure peace in the world, we should make sure that the combined forces of democracy are as strong as those of autocracies." In his view, Europe has made two big mistakes: "Europe has trusted Russia for decades to be their most important energy supplier, but has not trusted Germany to play an important role in our defence. Or to put it another way: has greed defeated trust? I think the answer to that is yes," Treichl said. However, he is also firmly convinced that the Europeans in 2022 will be as strong as the Europeans in 1945, "with the serious difference that today we don't have to rebuild anything, we have to improve."
Government leaders back EU enlargement
Moldovan President Maia Sandu stressed that "only together can we build a Europe resilient enough to face the challenges of today." She named disinformation, energy security, the fight against corruption and EU enlargement as key issues in this context. Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer also spoke out in favour of EU enlargement: "All countries of the Western Balkans deserve a credible EU perspective. Austria will remain committed to this."
The European Forum Alpbach 2022: 21 August to 2 September
4.000 students and participants will exchange views at this year's event on how Europe can master its current challenges - along four thematic tracks.For more information on the European Forum 2022, please visit: https: //www.alpbach.org/