Paneuropa Congress 1926/2016
The Pan-European Congress took place from 6 to 9 October 2016 at the Haus der Industrie in Vienna.
A brief summary: 28 speakers, six moderators from several European countries and Africa, including the three presidents of Macedonia Gjorge Ivanov, Kosovo Hashim Thaci and Albania Bujar Nishani, ministers, members of the Austrian National Council from various parties, as well as around 300 guests from 20 European countries and the USA
90 years earlier, from 3 to 6 October 1926, the first Pan-European Congress took place in Vienna.
The Congress in 2016 was a reopening of the congress for the Pan-European movement because, as in 1926, ‘the questions about the appropriate methods for realising this common goal’ are highly topical, as many politicians and political observers are already talking about an impending rupture in Europe.
The ‘question of the position of England and Russia in Pan-Europe’ is just as topical as it was 90 years ago.
The keynote speech was given by Karl von Habsburg, President of the Pan-European Movement Austria and Vice-President of the International Pan-European Union. He traced the arc from the situation in which Europe found itself at the time of the historic Congress of 1926 to the situation of Europe today, stating: ‘The relevance of Pan-Europe is not outdated’. Among other things, he emphasised the rule of law, the commitment to private property and the principle of subsidiarity as one of the fundamental principles of Europe, which have created the prosperity that has led Europe to its greatness. In his remarks on foreign policy, he placed particular emphasis on Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and the other areas of tension arising from this. He called on Europe to put itself in a position to react quickly to further threats. The common foreign and security policy, which was already formulated as a goal at the beginning of European unification, must finally take concrete form.
Two presentations highlighted historical aspects of Pan-Europe from the founding period of the Pan-European Union.
Topics discussed included ‘European values and virtues in the 21st century’ - presented by the book author Prince Asfa-Wossen Asserate, who was born in Ethiopia and now lives in Germany -, European economic policy - with a very clear appeal for more economic freedom and less state regulation - and the question of EU enlargement.
Information about the Congress
Paneuropa Congress 1926-2016 (EN) (PDF)