Alpbach Moments ANNUAL RE VIE W 2021
P R E A M B L E T O T H E S TAT U T E S O F THE EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH
Guided by the desire • to serve the arts and sciences, • to play a role in the preservation and expansion of freedom, • to foster human self-reliance, • to strengthen a pluralistic and democratic society guided by the spirit of tolerance, • to contribute to a balance between the economy, ecology and social responsibility as a sustainable economic and social model and • to promote European integration and international cooperation, the European Forum Alpbach strives to be a space for intellect and culture and a platform for encounter, exchange and debate; a place for the forward-looking development of Europe’s academic, cultural, humanitarian, political and economic heritage.
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
Annual Review 2021
2021 was a year like no other: the pandemic became a fixture of everyday life; for the first time ever in the history of the European Forum Alpbach (EFA), a hybrid event was held; new programme structures were set up, and against all odds, we managed to pull off an in-person event in Alpbach. A lot of things were reconsidered and restructured: with the distinct goal of giving more emphasis and depth to the thematic focus, the three tracks Securing our Future, The Financing of Europe’s Future and The Climate Opportunity were established. Taking this step was integral to further encouraging and challenging the interdisciplinary exchange between the areas business, culture, politics, society and technology. The implementation of key topics goes hand in hand with our belief that for Europe to become sustainably stronger, a more profound discussion of the themes is required of all disciplines. However, sustainable solutions and ideas for the future can only be developed if all parties concerned are actively involved. That is why we continue to attach particular importance to listening to the voice of tomorrow’s generation. Dialogue and discourse are needed, because decision-makers can only face and address the challenges of Europe’s future if they engage in a constructive exchange with the youth. A sense of togetherness is an absolute must. Considering the current situation in Europe – politically, socially and economically – it is about time we come up with fresh ideas and give those ideas the power to get things moving.
4
By setting up the #EFAChallenges in 2021, the first digital learning initiative was launched, providing even more room for the ideas of tomorrow. More than 6,000 students and young professionals from the EFA alumni network were invited to explore this year’s thematic tracks in the run-up to the Forum, and the best ideas were presented during the Forum later in Alpbach. The fact that they attracted such keen interest has made us all the more determined to make sure that such projects will not only remain a part of the Forum, but also be expanded further. There is certainly plenty to do at the European Forum Alpbach. We hope you will continue to accompany us on this journey. We are looking forward to it. ANDREAS TREICHL ON BEHALF OF THE ENTIRE EFA EXECUTIVE BOARD
5
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENTS AND SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE EUROPEAN FORUM ALPBACH FLTR: KATARZYNA PISARSKA, MICHAELA FRITZ, KATJA GENTINETTA, ANDREAS TREICHL, FLORENCE GAUB, WERNER WUTSCHER, MARIE RINGLER
European Forum Alpbach 2021
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
European Forum Alpbach 2021 HYBRI
OPENING
Securing our Future The Financing of Europe’s Future The Climate Opportunity 3 TRACKS FOR EFA
SEMINAR WEEK T Y R O L DAY S A R T S A N D C U LT U R E
Wed 18.08.
Thu 19.08.
6
Fri 20.08.
Sat 21.08.
Sun 22.08.
Mon 23.08.
Tue 24.08.
In order to keep pace with our dynamic environment we decided to make a reorientation of the content of the conference: Six Symposia became four – Health, Technology, Political (merging with Legal) and Economic (merging with Finance) Symposium. This enabled us to make even better use of content-related synergies. This new orientation was intended to emphasise the interdisciplinary approach even more prominently. Furthermore, the individual disciplines had to interact more closely in terms of content. The common thread in this is formed by our three thematic tracks which ran through each Symposium.
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
D C O NHFYE B RR EN I DC EC O TuNeF E2 R 4 E. 0N8C. –E FTu r i e0 32.40.90.8 . – F r i 0 3 . 0 9 .
G
OPENING
INTRO & INTRO & A R T I S T S I N D IAS R C TOIU S TRSS EI N D I S C O U R S E T E C H N O LO GYT E C H N O LO GY H E A LT H
H E A LT H
C LO S I N G
E C O N O MY
E CO N O MY
POLITICS
POLITICS
Mon Wed Tue Thu Wed Fri Thu Sat Fri Sun Sat Mon Sun Tue Mon Wed Tue Thu Wed Fri Thu .08.25.08.24.08.26.08. 25.08.27.08. 26.08.28.08. 27.08.29.08. 28.08.30.08.29.08.31.08. 30.08.01.09. 31.08. 02.09.01.09.03.09. 02.09.
OVERVIEW
7
C LO
0
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
Facts and Figures
243
4,156
T O TA L N U M B E R O F S E S S I O N S HELD IN 2021
T O TA L N U M B E R O F P E O P L E AT T H E H Y B R I D F O R U M 2 0 2 1
1,985
2,171
PA R T I C I PA N T S ONLINE
PA R T I C I PA N T S ON-SITE
625 S P E A K E R S AT T H E F O R U M 2 0 2 1
104
90
PA R T N E R S
N U M B E R O F N AT I O N S R E P R E S E N T E D B Y T H E F O R U M 2 0 2 1 PA R T I C I PA N T S
8
Discover our Three Tracks
Securing our Future
The Financing of Europe’s Future Across the globe we see that current financial systems with a strong capital market have an advantage vis-à-vis largely banking based systems as is the case in Europe. Start-ups, investments in green tech, digitalisation or artificial intelligence all require equity. What is needed now is not only the mobilisation of funds from all sources of finance, but a new era of multistakeholder collaboration that engages financial institutions, investors and philanthropists, the public sector, and citizens alike. We strongly believe that fostering a competitive economy and strengthening European capital markets will enable us to not only emerge from the prevailing crisis, but also unleash a new wave of innovation for a stronger, safer and greener Europe.
The Climate Opportunity The climate crisis holds at its core an opportunity that could define our era: as we design and implement solutions, we can also improve the livelihood, health and wellbeing of people and nature. When we think about the climate crisis as a crosscutting, systemic issue rather than a technical problem, we can find solutions that solve multiple problems at once and can create benefit for people from all walks of life. The climate crisis is a “wicked problem” – there is a high degree of complexity and disagreement; and it is further complicated by ethical dilemmas and conflicts of interest.
9
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
Now is the moment to realise the future we want. New ideas and momentum are needed. The future we strive for has to be reconsidered, redesigned and restructured to allow us to exit the state of crisis we find us in. To give more certainty, democracy, capitalism, or multilateral organisations – the very systems that made our future predictable – need to be adapted, strengthened and reaffirmed. Amidst challenges as all – encompassing as climate change, automation, or geopolitical shifts and rifts, Europe entered a sense of crisis that triggered a larger debate on strategic autonomy and sovereignty. Yet Europe can once more find its footing - not just for its own benefit but that of all other continents alike - if rather than limit ourselves to internal debates about Europe’s capacity to fend for itself we give ourselves permission to think big and dig deeper.
Conference Formats
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
Plenaries
The EFA21 once more hosted high-level discussions – plenaries – on stage. These were exclusively held in a hybrid manner, allowing for speakers and the audience to join the discussion even when unable to travel to Alpbach. Moderators had the opportunity of integrating questions from the international audience posed in chats thus connecting participants with speakers. Youth involvement was a keystone of this year’s plenaries as young voices were added to all panels, either as part of the scholarship holder community or young professionals and experts from a variety of fields.
Retreats Retreats thrived through small, closed group working sessions as participants bonded, interacted and exchanged views. The group members varied from political decision makers to academic pioneers and civil society representatives who offered up not only their personal experiences and lessons learned but combined their insights in order to propose comprehensive solutions for the challenges ahead. This year’s retreats addressed the topics Securing Alliances, Financial Literacy, Climate Leadership and the Future of Europe.
M O B I L I S I N G B E H I N D C L I M AT E AC TION , 2 SEP TEM B ER 2021 10
Alpbach in Motion
“Dear World, thank you for listening, this is Europe speaking, or at least 35 Europeans who gathered in the past few days in Alpbach and co-imagined a Europe we all want. … we want our leaders of all walks of life to start trusting us and letting us lead. ... We are committed to innovate and disrupt together with you, but we have no time to wait.”* Led by mentor Caroline Paulick-Thiel (Politics for Tomorrow), the Alpbach in Motion summit connected and encouraged 35 emerging leaders from various business backgrounds to strengthen Europe by bringing change and new ways of acting into their industries and networks. * The letter was designed by using a cocreation technique developed by Heartbeats InCo bringing together inputs and impressions by 35 individuals.
D I F F E R E N T F O R M AT S
11
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
A L P B A C H I N M O T I O N , F I R E S I D E C H AT W I T H E U C O M M I S S I O N E R M A I R E A D M C G U I N N E S S , 1 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1
Fireside Chats
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
Taking a walk on the meadows above the Congress Centrum Alpbach, you unexpectedly come across a group of young people listening to what Nobel Prize laureate Joseph Stiglitz has to say about the conditio humana (or US politics)? Chances are high that it is a Fireside Chat, a much-loved trademark of the Forum initiated by its alumni network, where scholarship holders engage in spontaneous conversations with personalities in an informal setting. No fireside needed.
F I R E S I D E C H AT W I T H J O S E P H S T I G L I T Z , 1 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1
12
Alpbach Hubs are an important element in the EFA’s commitment to integrenerational dialogue and the strengthening of the Forum Alpbach Network. This year for the second time, the Alpbach Hubs offered a stage to the young generation. The event series gave clubs and ambassadors of the Forum Alpbach Network and the Africa Alpbach Network the opportunity to host own panel discussions and fireside chats as part of the official EFA21 programme. The digital events – ten panel discussions and nine fireside chats – were curated and organised by a junior programme manager at the EFA Foundation, in coordination with the track managers. The events complemented the three programme tracks with young and regional perspectives, i.e., by shedding light on “Sustainable Urban Mobility in Latin America” or by discussing “Public Debt: A Burden For Future Generations or a Necessary Boost?”. As the only fully digital programme component, the Alpbach Hubs added to the hybrid conference setting by offering a high degree of interactivity to the remote audience. On average, 30-40 participants visited each session, with peaks of up to 65 participants during the fireside chats with Ban Ki-moon (hosted by the Africa Alpbach Network) and Jeffrey Sachs (hosted by the USA Ambassadors Network).
Alpbach Salons
This year, not only the Congress Centrum Alpbach but the whole village transformed into a place for exchange, addressing security, finance and climate. A variety of different organisations and institutions invited participants to join their “Alpbach Salons” and to listen to impulses on the most pressing problems of our time. Traditional parlours enabled fruitful discussions whilst having breakfast, lunch or dinner.
D I F F E R E N T F O R M AT S
13
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
Alpbach Hubs
Seminar Week
After a pandemic-related break, the Alpbach Seminar Week once again became a hub for innovative knowledge exchange and new personal experiences for a young and enthusiastic audience.
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
In 2021, 520 scholarship holders from all around the world had the chance to participate in the European Forum Alpbach either digitally or on-site and to experience intellectual as well as emotional enhancement in a unique way. Under the umbrella of the European Forum Alpbach’s tracks scholarship holders chose seminars from a wide range of different scientific fields.
Europe inside out – seminars on site in Alpbach The interplay between scientific seminars in the morning and artistic and practical seminars in the afternoon prepared and empowered scholarship holders to actively participate in discussions to develop concrete ideas together with speakers and other participants and make an active contribution to strengthen Europe.
Europe outside in – digital seminars Online scholarship holders chose a workshop of their choice from a colourful abundance and diversity of both scientific and artistic or practical e-seminars. They had the opportunity to interact directly with experts, discuss and learn new things in the process. Newly learned content could directly be carried into the digital conference to work on Europe’s role in active discussions and possibly generate new ideas and impact.
14
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021 S E M I N A R : C O L L A B O R AT I O N T H R O U G H T H E P O W E R O F M U S I C , 2 5 A U G U S T 2 0 2 1
SEMINAR WEEK
15
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
A N N A A R TA K E R A N D H E R A R T I N S TA L L AT I O N O U T S I D E | I N S I D E , 2 5 A U G U S T 2 0 2 1
We Need Open Minds to Change Perspectives. For all visible the installation OUTSIDE | INSIDE transformed the Congress Centrum Alpbach into an art intervention itself. Around 3,300 women’s names could be read from outside and 13,000 men’s names from inside on the glass walls – all EFA participants from the last 75 years. Beautiful to look at, but clear in the message when it comes to power and gender relations.
On Artists in Discourse Day composer Olga Neuwirth – with the support of journalist Ingrid Brodnig – pushed genres and gender boundaries with her guests Vivian Justin Bond (artist), Helga Davis (performance artist), Guillermo MartÍnez (writer), Fatima Moumouni (spoken-word poet), Mavi Phoenix (musician), and Niki Popper (scientist) and invited to a sound environment for eight hours on the terrace: Olga Neuwirth’s CoronAtion IV: whoever brought me here performed by Robyn Schulkowsky and Joey Baron.
16
At the opening of the EFA21, jazz musician Vincent Pongrácz surprised with the world premiere of Hy Cotyl, an art piece of concentrated Alpbach spirit and power, played by Klangforum Wien. The three art interventions gave radical and different perspectives on this year’s tracks. Sarah Vanhee and Brit Hatzius created the dark-comical short film No Cure For Life about death in a global capitalist society. The artist duo honey & bunny transformed
A R T S & C U LT U R E
with Eat the Coal the discussion venue into an “eat art” installation and questioned the personal and economic access to coal. Teresa Distelberger and Simon Mayer declared in their multimedia performance Home – A State of being Moved breath as home and home as a state of being moved. And with the Tyrolean Chamber Orchestra InnStrumenti we approached the invisible changes in our life reality from different perspectives in an inspiring contemporary concert.
17
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
H O N E Y & B U N N Y - K E E P I N G T R A C K | E AT T H E C O L E , 2 9 A U G U S T 2 0 2 1
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
How Can We Secure Europe’s Future?
18
E FA 2 0 2 1
Securing our Future
V I R U S E S - PA S T, P R E S E N T A N D F U T U R E 28 AUGUS T 2021 SECURING OUR FUTURE
19
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
To secure a positive future for Europe and the world bold ideas, clear objectives and practical capabilities are needed. What kind of future Europe do we want, what do we need to make it happen and what obstacles will we encounter on the way? These questions provided a structure for all thematic activities within the Securing Our Future track. The following two examples showcase highlight sessions of this year’s forum: EU membership and the dynamics at play for accession countries were brought on stage in a session titled Sticks and Carrots still? Relationship Management for Western Balkans and the EU where the Prime Ministers of North Macedonia and Kosovo respectively were partnered with an EU Special Representative to tackle the practical hurdles for bettering cooperation. O Europe, Where Art Thou? - Defining a Future for Europe and Beyond offered viewpoints from foresight experts and those charged with representing future generations on how Europe needs to evolve and reprioritize its own agendas to do justice not only to the current electorate, but the next generations’ needs as well.
How Can We Fin
20
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
The Financing of Europe’s Future
E AT T H E C O A L H O N E Y & B U N N Y, 29 AUGUS T 2021
nance Europe? THE FINANCING OF EUROPE‘ S FUTURE
21
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
The track’s programme touched upon a variety of aspects to mobilise financing and foster a greener, more digital and internationally competitive Europe. To start with, 25 interdisciplinary European experts and scholarship holders, among others Annamaria Lusardi (Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center) proposed concrete actions to foster financial education in Europe. Commissioner Mairead McGuinness, UBS Chairman Axel A. Weber, Maria Demertzis and Thomas Wieser (both Bruegel) stressed the urgent need for a Capital Markets Union to enable private sector investment in Europe’s future. A vision on how to shape a flourishing Eurozone was provided by EU central bank governors Per Callesen (Denmark), Robert Holzmann (Austria), Klaas Knot (The Netherlands) and Boris Boris Vujčić (Croatia). OECD Secretary General Mathias Cormann called for business leaders, policy makers and the younger generation to continue collaborating and investing in opportunities for a just and sustainable economy. Finally, the session Mondays for Markets demonstrated new, bold ideas of young, emerging leaders to finance Europe – from developing a vibrant entrepreneurship ecosystem to a just financial system.
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
Can the Climate C Opportunity to Re
22
Crisis be an ethink Europe? The Climate Opportunity
Central to the track stood the question on how to best mobilise a European and global response to climate change. 40 exceptional thought leaders came together in Alpbach to explore solutions to bring about concrete action. Aside from an intensive 2-day retreat, the group stayed on and led hikes and discussions, creating a wonderful serendipity for everyone interested. With Antje Boetius (Alfred Wegener Institute) the programme explored the strong relationship between microbiology and climate change and learned of the importance of microbes in the carbon and nitrogen cycles, which is greatly underestimated. An exceptional discussion with Joseph Stiglitz (Columbia University), Kirsten Dunlop (Climate-KIC), Indy Johar (Dark Matter Labs) and Sandrine Dixson-Declève reflected on how to make our economy resilient for tomorrow. A systematic approach with a strong focus on people and prosperity, but also with a global institutional architecture could lead the way ahead.
F R I D AY S F O R F U T U R E I N T E R V E N T I O N D U R I N G E FA 2 1 27 AUGUS T 2021 T H E C L I M AT E O P P O R T U N I T Y
23
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
Johan Rockström (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research) kicked off the Climate Opportunity track by underlining the urgency of the climate crisis, detailing planetary boundaries, and calling for action in line with the European Green Deal.
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
Alpbach Challenges
The Albpach Challenges were born from a vision to create a digital space for the Forum’s global alumni network to work collaboratively on finding entrepreneurial solutions to some of the most pressing challenges of our times. The project kicked-off in March 2021 and within four months the Challenges Platform hit the 500 sign-ups mark. Following a design-thinking methodology, we involved the young participants aged 18-35 in digital ideation workshops, where interdisciplinary teams from all around the globe were formed. Out of 50 ideas that were submitted, eight were shortlisted by a jury and announced at an official ceremony by Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. The top teams received high-level mentoring and were coached in prototyping and pitching, before presenting their ideas to an international audience and interdisciplinary jury. Three ideas were selected to receive funding: a community-driven platform that aims to promote clean energy, connect a decentralized market and provide educational content on solar energy (Solarity), a platform built to influence climate action through gamified challenges inspired by the SDGs, targeting schools and the student community (Greenie), and a project that intends to counteract the growing differences in perception within the EU by bringing together people with different opinions and encouraging them to explore each other’s realities (A New Reality). 24
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021 F I R E S I D E C H AT W I T H D A N I E L S A C H S , 1 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1
ALPBACH CHALLENGES
25
EFA Foundation
The European Forum Alpbach Foundation (EFAF) was established on 15 November 2005 to support the objectives of the European Forum Alpbach. The Foundation funds scholarships for the European Forum Alpbach with the aid of different kinds of donations and is more broadly aimed at supporting the mission of the European Forum Alpbach. It is based in Vienna.
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
The scholarship programme of the non-profit private foundation of the European Forum Alpbach enables young people from across the world to
come to the Forum in Alpbach or to participate in the Forum’s annual conference. Until today, hundreds of scholarship holders from more than 50 countries serve as ambassadors or have founded alumni groups, which run their own successful scholarship programmes. All in all, scholarship holders from over 100 countries participate in the European Forum Alpbach every year. In addition, the Foundation connects a variety of stakeholders in order to strengthen democracy, an open society and social cohesion in Europe with initiatives like “Re:think Alliances” or “ANSTOSS DEMOKRATIE”.
A L P B A C H D U R I N G E FA 2 1 26
Board of the Non-Profit Foundation under Private Law
ANDREAS TREICHL
SONJA JÖCHTL
President of the European Forum Alpbach
Managing Director of the Foundation BORIS MARTE
INGRID HAMM
(Until 7 July 2021) Charity funding expert and former director of the Robert Bosch Foundation
(As of 16 March 2021) Chief Executive Officer of ERSTE Foundation
C A R O L I N E H O R N S T E I N -T O M I Ć
Vice President of EcoAustria; fmr. CEO of Raiffeisen Bank International
K ARL SEVELDA
(As of 21 August 2021) Senior Researcher at the Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar I Co-founder of THE CIVICS Innovation Hub I Co-founder of the foundation Wissen am Werk / Znanje na djelu
H O WA R D W I L L I A M S O N (C O - O P T E D)
Professor of European Youth Policy, University of South Wales
WINFRIED KNEIP
(As of 16 March 2021) Senior Education Consultant
Otto Molden and Simon Moser founded the European Forum Alpbach in 1945 with the aim of strengthening democracy and social cohesion in Europe. In order to ensure the long-term existence of the European Forum Alpbach and to enable the expansion of its network, the Alpbach Circle was founded under the leadership of Karl Sevelda. The Circle is an exclusive circle of people who support the Forum out of personal conviction. Donations made through the Circle to the European Forum Alpbach Foundation are tax-deductible. E FA F O U N D AT I O N
27
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
Alpbach Circle
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
Every Crisis is an Opportunity. The Forum Alpbach Network (FAN) story of 2020/2021 by Johannes Stangl, Member of the FAN Board
and drafting that involved more than 40 people across Europe and the world. The process created community and friendships in months of solitary confinement and it brought the network to work together as closely as it never had done before. Since the beginning of the Corona crisis many organisations struggled heavily with the engagement of their volunteers and some failed altogether. But the FAN thrived in working towards the common goal of creating those proposals and vision papers and ultimately grew closer and more resilient than it had ever been.
The Forum Alpbach Network (FAN) is still too young to know a “normal mode of procedure” that it could compare the exceptional situation of the past two years to. Yet the Corona crisis changed the alumni network of the European Forum Alpbach in many ways that might constitute a “new normality” for the workings of the network – for the better in many ways, I will suggest in the following. As EFA20 came to an end and Covid restrictions tightened again all over Europe, a major event was approaching: the election of the new EFA board and its new president Andreas Treichl. The FAN was anticipating the renewal of the board with great interest, as it would set the course of the EFA for the upcoming years. It soon became clear that the focus of the EFA would be set to Europe and on having a positive impact on the very continent the Forum derives its name from. The new board challenged the FAN to rethink its role in the wake of the new purpose it wanted to breathe into the European Forum Alpbach. The FAN gladly took up the challenge and initiated three working groups that would work on the most important topics it had identified: first, creating scenarios on how EFA21 could be conducted in a good manner, regarding restricted access to the forum due to Covid regulations; second, rethinking the Forum Alpbach Network and creating visions for its development; third, rethinking the European Forum Alpbach and creating visions for its future. What followed was an intense time of thinking and discussing, writing
Finally, EFA21 arrived and with great effort we managed to have it physically and bring a decent amount of new scholarship holders that could immerse themselves in the spirit of Alpbach and grow into a new generation of FAN members. The highlight for many must have been the small FAN conference that was held in Alpbach to reconnect the network. For most it had been one and a half years since they had last seen each other in real life. Since many new people joined in the meantime it was the first time at all for some. This was a truly remarkable encounter and the long time of hardship was brushed aside in no time, when we finally met each other. Being there together – physically – was the spark that was needed to rekindle the fire that had almost faded throughout the network. More confident than ever, we felt the purpose of our network: to shape the world, by shaping and transforming the young people we bring to the European Forum Alpbach each year. 28
News from the Africa Alpbach Network (AAN) al games and a live reading. Participants with the highest attendance were awarded an e-certificate and Udemy courses were awarded to winners of the virtual games. The summit attracted approximately 150 participants over three days, 27 of whom were AAN members.
The Africa Alpbach Network (AAN) was founded in Alpbach/Austria in 2019. The AAN has 77 members from at least ten African countries. 2021 was an active and a productive year for the network beginning with the virtual Thrive Sessions. The sessions aimed to equip our members with skills for their professional advancement, through knowledge sharing sessions. The sessions were Secrets to Winning Funding Opportunities (23 April 2021) and The Triple Bottom Line of a Start-up (1 July 2021).
Finally, AAN hosted three events at EFA21 – two hub sessions and one fireside chat. The hub sessions brought together experts from various parts of Africa to discuss Africa’s public health response to Covid19 and the meaning of a just transition in Africa. Together with the Ban Kimoon Centre for Global Citizens (BKMC), the AAN hosted a fireside chat with the two BKMC chairs, former Austrian Federal President Heinz Fischer and former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, on the latter’s memoir Resolved.
AAN also hosted a virtual summit (27 to 29 May 2021), funded by the Bosch Alumni Network’s Regional Activity Grant. The summit aimed to reconnect alumni of AAN through online events. These events included two plenary sessions, speed networking, three breakout sessions, virtuFORUM ALPBACH NE T WORK
29
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
SEMINAR : HUM AN CENTRED D E SIGN , 19 AUGUS T 2021
Forum Alpbach Network The time spent together at the EFA connects former scholarship holders over the course of many years and across national borders. This year, 32 alumni organisations active in 21 different countries are a visible expression of this bond. They organise successful scholarship programmes and various events throughout the year. There are also 22 FAN ambassadors who provide information about the EFA Scholarship Programme and the Forum in their countries. More information can be found at: https://forum.alpbach.network
EU R O PE A N F O R U M A L PB AC H 202 1
Clubs 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
Initiative Group Alpbach Albania (AL) Initiative Group Alpbach Armenia (ARM) Czech and Slovak Club Alpbach Club Alpbach Belgrade (SRB) Club Alpbach Belgium Brussels (B) Club Alpbach Burgenland (A) Club Alpbach Croatia (HR) Club Alpbach Finland (FIN) Club Alpbach Georgia (GE) Club Alpbach Germany (D) Initiative Group Alpbach Kosovo (KS) Kyiv Initiative Group Alpbach (UA) Club Alpbach Iraq (IRQ) Club Alpbach Liechtenstein (LI) Club Alpbach London (GB) Club Alpbach Macedonia (MK)
17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32.
Club Alpbach Montenegro (MNE) Club Alpbach Netherlands (NL) Club Alpbach Niederösterreich (A) Club Alpbach Oberösterreich (A) Initiative Group Alpbach Romania (R) Club Alpbach Salzburg (A) Initiative Group Alpbach Sarajevo (BIH) Club Alpbach Senza Confini (A/SLO/I) Club Alpbach Steiermark (A) Club Alpbach Südtirol Alto Adige (I) Club Alpbach Sweden (SWE) Club Alpbach Tirol (A) Club Alpbach Trentino (I) Club Alpbach Vorarlberg (A) Initiativgruppe Alpbach Wien (A) Club Alpbach Switzerland Zurich (CH)
30
Ambassadors 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
Algeria Argentina Azerbaijan Bolivia Brazil China Colombia Costa Rica Ecuador Egypt Ghana Hungary
13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22.
India Kenya Korea Mexico Poland Russia South Africa Uganda United States of America Zimbabwe
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
Africa Alpbach Network The Africa Alpbach Network was founded in 2019 and is our second continental alumni network. Currently, it has 77 members in at least ten African countries. The headquarters of the network are in Ghana. FORUM ALPBACH NE T WORK
31
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
Further EFA Activities
F I R E S I D E C H AT W I T H A U S T R I A N F E D E R A L M I N I S T E R OF JUS TICE AL M A Z ADIĆ , 3 SEP TEM B ER 2021
32
The EFA Foundation’s project Re:think Alliances aims to build diverse networks between different actors in order to strengthen democracy, an open society and social cohesion in Europe. As part of Re:think Alliances, the European Forum Alpbach Foundation is one of the founders of ANSTOSS DEMOKRATIE, a new initiative that aims to build strategical networks and harness collective knowledge to strengthen democratic culture in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. ANSTOSS DEMKRATIE is a joint initiative of the EFA Foundation and ERSTE Foundation (Austria), Robert Bosch Stiftung, Stiftung Mercator, the Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung/bpb) (Germany), and Mercator Foundation Switzerland.
Community Calls
The calls allowed the Alpbach community to regularly meet online and discuss relevant issues on the future of Europe and democracy and civic engagement, the climate crisis, or finance. While the first calls focused on various aspects of civic engagement as part of Re:think Alliances, they were later tailored to the topics of the #EFAChallenges. The calls showcased the expertise gathered in the broader EFA network and frequently hosted alumni of the EFA scholarship programme as speakers. As of December 2021 the Calls were organised in cooperation with ERSTE Group.
FEMtrepreneurs
FEMtrepreneurs is the networking programme of the European Forum Alpbach for female entrepreneurs and founders. This year’s programme gave the opportunity to up to 120 women to attend an interactive three-day digital workshop series during the EFA21, which focussed on different aspects of social entrepreneurship and the future of (female) businesses. Additional 20 onsite tickets were given to selected applicants to attend one symposium of their choice in Alpbach. Entrepreneurs from a wide range of backgrounds including the health sector, politics, the economy, and the tech scene came together and actively engaged with the different programme tracks. A network event at the beginning of October in Vienna allowed all participants – both digital and onsite – to meet in person and continue the discussions which were started in August. The programme was curated in cooperation with Frauendomäne and sponsored by Philip Morris International.
FURTHER AC TIVITIES
33
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
Re:Think Alliances & ANSTOSS DEMOKRATIE
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
Tested and Transparent
auditors Günther Schrems and Max Kothbauer, who assessed the accounting and the financial management of the association as orderly. The graphs show the total turnovers of the years 2020 and 2021. While the total turnover of € 2,115,094.78 in the year 2020 faced costs of € 2,356,980.49 consisting of staff expenses (€ 1,116,840.69), operating expenses (€ 582,565.44) and Organisational EFA costs (€ 657,574.36), the total turnover of € 4,234,308.89 in 2021 faced costs of € 4,280,840.74 likewise consisting of staff expenses (€ 1,279,609.74), operating expenses (€ 715,608.99) and organisational EFA costs (€ 2,285,622.19).
The European Forum Alpbach had its 2020 and 2021 annual accounts audited by ECOVIS Austria Wirtschaftsprüfungs- und Steuerberatungsgesellschaft mbH. This provides an account of the use of the sponsorship and donation funds entrusted to us. The audit for the 2020 financial year was accepted by the General Assembly on 15 June 2021, the audit for the 2021 financial year was accetped on 17 May 2022. The annual financial statements were presented by the association’s committees for use in accordance with the statutes and they were discussed in detail with the management by the honorary
34
Turnover 2020 € 2,115,094.78 MEMBERSHIP FEES € 1 6 , 9 5 0.0 0 1 %
OTHER € 211, 293.55 10 %
PA R T I C I PAT I O N F E E S € 2 9 9, 9 8 5 . 9 2 14 % PUBLIC FUNDS € 7 9 8 , 6 7 9. 2 8 38 %
Turnover 2021 € 4,234,308.89 MEMBERSHIP FEES € 1 6 , 6 5 0.0 0 0, 4 0 % PA R T I C I PAT I O N F E E S € 8 76 , 8 2 8 . 7 8 21 %
SPONSORING € 2 , 6 2 9, 5 5 3 . 6 1 62% PUBLIC FUNDS € 7 0 0, 6 1 8 . 4 9 16 %
OTHER € 1 0, 6 5 8 .0 1 0, 3 0 %
TURN OVER AND COS T S 2020 & 2021
35
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
SPONSORING € 7 8 8 ,1 8 6 .0 3 37 %
T H E A S S O C I AT I O N
European Forum Alpbach
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
The first European Forum Alpbach took place in 1945 as the “International College Weeks”. Founded in 1948 as a non-profit association based in Vienna, it acts independently of any ideology, religion or political party. The association only functions thanks to the vast number of people who, with the exception of the organisation team, all give their time voluntarily to the Forum Alpbach. They have contributed to making the European Forum Alpbach one of the most important interdisciplinary dialogue platforms in Europe for science, politics, economics and culture today.
President
Council
Scientific Advisory Board
Andreas Treichl
Peter C. Aichelburg (until June 2021), Martin Bernhofer, Jürgen Busch, Verena Ehold, Friedrich Gleissner (until June 2021), Erich Gornik, Ivo Greiter (until June 2021), Wolfgang Habermayer, Michael Haider, Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger, Günter Hillebrand, Bruno Hofbauer, Herwig Hösele, Michael Ikrath, Beatrix Karl, Wolfgang Knoll, Georg Kopetz, Elisabeth Krainer-Senger-Weiss, Kathryn List, Johann Luif (until June 2021), Ulrike Lunacek, Christian Macek, Bernhard Marckhgott, Sophie Martinetz, Thomas Mayr-Harting (until June 2021), Beate Meinl-Reisinger, Patricia Mussi-Mailer, Dieter Natlacen, Ewald Nowotny, Johannes Ortner (until June 2021), Klaus Poier, Filip Radunović, Reingard Rauch, Wolfgang Renner, Verena Ringler, Walter Rothensteiner (until June 2021), Sabine Schindler, Christoph Schneider, Rainer Schrems, Mariella Schurz, Matthias Strolz, Alexandra Terzić-Auer, Hedwig Wölfl
Brigitte Bach, Matthias Beck, Anna Durnová, Martin H. Gerzabek, Irene Giner-Reichl (Chair as of 21/10/2021), Markus Hengstschläger, Barbara Horejs, Maximilian Jösch, Sylvia Knapp, Winfried Kneip (Chair as of 21/10/2021), Katja Mayer, Josef Mitterer, Hanns-Christoph Nägerl, Manfred Nowak, Elisabeth Oberzaucher, Daniela Pollak, Barbara Prainsack, Peter Purgathofer, Margit Schratzenstaller-Altzinger, Sarah Spiekermann-Hoff, Saskia Stachowitsch, Alma Steger, Harald Stelzer, Kristina Stöckl, Ulrike Tappeiner, Felicitas Thun-Hohenstein, Miriam Unterlass, Michael Wagner, Andreas Wimmer, Rudolf Zechner Caspar Einem (Chair) (†)
Vice Presidents Michaela Fritz, Florence Gaub, Katja Gentinetta, Katarzyna Pisarska, Marie Ringler
Honorary Presidents Erhard Busek, Franz Fischler, Heinrich Pfusterschmid-Hardtenstein
Executive Board Andreas Bierwirth (Financial Officer), Irene Giner-Reichl (co-opted as of 19/10/2021), Valerie Hengl (FAN), Tobias Neugebauer (FAN), Shalini Randeria (co-opted until 19/10/2021), Thomas Wieser (co-opted as of 19/10/2021)
Auditors Günther Schrems, Max Kothbauer
Arbitration Board Michael Neider, Katharina Scherke, Matthias Strolz, Franz Zöchbauer
Secretary General Werner Wutscher
36
Corresponding Members of the Scientific Advisory Board Jeremias Adams-Prassl, Nadia Al-Bagdadi, Petar Bojanić, Johann Frank, Maja Göpel, Hermann Hauser, Michael Ignatieff, Sabine Junginger, Hedwig Josefine Kaiser, Lisa Kaltenegger, Peter G. Kirchschläger, Wilhelm Krull, Dominik Markl, Thomas Mayr-Harting, Gero Miesenböck, Jürgen Mlynek, Berthold Molden, Friedrich B. Prinz, Michael Reiterer, Dirk Rupnow, Anya Schiffrin, Tobias Schumacher, Nona Shepphard, Otmar D. Wiestler, Howard Williamson, Ruth Wodak
Advisory Committees Health Symposium
Economic Symposium
Political Symposium
Michaela Fritz, Michael Heinisch, Alexander Herzog, Hedwig Kaiser, Bernhard Küenburg, Lena Lepuschütz, Sigrid Pilz, Sofia Ribeiro, Kerstin Schallaböck, Giulio Superti-Furga, Thomas Wochele-Thoma, Sabine Wolf, Hedwig Wölfl
Silvia Angelo, Gerald Bast, Ulrike FamiraMühlberger, Gabriel Felbermayr, Nikolaus Griller, Karen Horn, Georg Kopetz, Heike Mensi-Klarbach, Martin R. Stuchtey, Sofie Waltl
Sonja Barnreiter, Erhard Busek, Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook, Tamara Ehs, Michael Enzinger, Michael Lysander Fremuth, FranzStefan Gady, Maja Göpel, Michael Holoubek, Gerald Knaus, Brigitte Loderbauer, Elisabeth Lovrek, Thomas Mayr-Harting, Sophie Martinetz, Katharina Natter, Dieter Natlacen, Claudine Nierth, Katarzyna Nowicka, Klaus Poier, Neda Savić, Oliver Scheiber, Alma Steger, Michael Umfahrer Susanne Weigelin-Schwiedrzik
Financial Market Symposium Magdalena Biereder, Catherine Cziharz, Bernhard Marckhgott, Christian Niedermüller, Jeffrey Owens, Natalie Staniewicz, Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell, Shermin Voshmgir, Ricardo-José Vybiral
International Advisory Board
Werner Wutscher (Secretary General Association), Sonja Jöchtl (Managing Director Foundation), Alexander Al Khafaji, Martin Anderl, Marina Bartoletti, Ayper Deniz, Christina Fuchs, Silvia Hanschur, Hannah Kickert, Sarah Kiparski, Bianca Kraft, Christine Maaß, Nikolaus Matejka, Judith Mehofer, Bettina Nahajowski, Ankica Nikolic, Benedikt Osl, Clara Rindler-Schantl, Magdalena Rostkowska-Müllner, Manuel Saliger, Elisabeth Schack, Christiane Schwaiger, Floria Springer, Maximilian Steinbrenner, Annamária Tóth, Christoph Wehrle, Sandra Wenzl, Franziska Werkner, Andrea Windegger, Katia Wissinger, Bernadette Zimmermann, Petra Zadrazil
Catherine Ashton, Franz Fischler, Eamon Gilmore, Arancha González Laya, JeanClaude Hollerich, Georgieva Kristalina, Miroslav Lajcák, Pascal Lamy, Thomas Mayr-Harting (Chair), Philippe Narval, Jeffrey Sachs, Karel Schwarzenberg, Martin Selmayr, Bruno Stagno-Ugarte, Cédric Villani, Margot Wallström, Thomas Wieser
T H E A S S O C I AT I O N
37
EUROPE AN FORUM ALPBACH 2021
Organising Team
MAIN PARTNER
MAIN SOCIAL PARTNER
EVENT PARTNERS
STRATEGIC PARTNERS
CONTRIBUTING PARTNERS
NETWORK & SCIENTIFIC PARTNERS
Tirol
MEDIA PARTNERS
#EFATEC
SCIENTIFIC PARTNER
STRATEGIC PARTNERS
SUPPORTING PARTNERS
CONTRIBUTING PARTNERS
MEDIA PARTNERS
SUPPORTING PARTNERS Stiftung Fürstlicher Kommerzienrat Guido Feger Lung Yingtai Cultural Foundation Club Alpbach Steiermark Wiener Börse AG Elsevier
Austrian Power Grid AG KAUTE Foundation Hirsch Beteiligungs GmbH Baker McKenzie Rechtsanwälte LLP & Co KG Franz Rauch
Christian Planegger Erwin Soravia Julian M. Hadschieff Georg Kopetz Ewald Nowotny
Wolfgang Pospischil Karl Sevelda Johannes Strohmayer Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell Stefan Zapotocky / RPR Privatstiftung
The European Forum Alpbach Thanks You! We are once again very grateful to all our partners’ support. Thank you for remaining loyal to the European Forum Alpbach and for being flexible in a period full of changes and challenges. Together we will continue to build on the very fundaments of democracy, European unity, solidarity and dialogue. Let us stay strong together, help those in need and show the world what the Village of Thinkers is made of. The European Forum Alpbach is not “just” a conference: Alpbach is wherever you are and wherever you act in the spirit of a united Europe and a solidary world.
Imprint Publisher: European Forum Alpbach Non-Profit Association Franz-Josefs-Kai 13/10, 1010 Vienna | Tel.: +43 1 718 17 11 | forum@alpbach.org Picture Credits: Philipp Huber, Elisabeth Mandl, Luiza Puiu, Andrej Pungovschi, Matteo Vegetti Editor: EFA Team | Editing: EFA Team, onlinelektorat.at | Design: WHY.Studio
We can’t wait to welcome you in Alpbach this year!
21 August - 2 September 2022 Alpbach, Tirol | #efa22