European Forum Alpbach: Kick-off “Europe in the World Days”
High-profile opening of the “Europe in the World Days” as the start of the second week of EFA24
Until 30 August, the European Forum Alpbach continues to bring together academics, future members of the European Commission and leading decisionmakers from politics, business, culture and civil society. More than half of the speakers are women.
At the opening stage, European and global leading personalities discussed the landmark decisions that have already been made and are still to be made in the super election year 2024, not only in Europe but worldwide.
They first looked at global interconnections and gave a perspective on Europe from the outside: “There is a disconnect in Europe with the Global South”, states Marina Vanni from the Forum Alpbach Network. In terms of solving the climate crisis globally “We should not think in terms of "help" but in terms of "solving the problem", says Yemi Osinbajo, the former Nigerian Vice President and representative from the Climate Action Platform for Africa.
James O’Brien, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs from the U.S. state department mentioned the top-priorities of the transatlantic cooperation is to solve problems together: “Responsible governments solve problems together. They don't resolve to single narratives like nationalist governments.“
Three European leaders then spoke about autocracy versus democracy – a trend visible worldwide and also on the European continent:
“We have a threat from the outside and a threat from the inside. This is a dramatic moment for the European Union.”, says former German Vice Chancellor Joschka Fischer on the Russian war of aggression and the nationalist developments in many EU member states. But: “The European Union has always been evolving in crisis”, opinionates Member of the European Parliament Svenja Hahn. José Manuel Barroso, former President of the European Commission is convinced that “The resilience of the european union is higher than people assume.”
The Europe in the World Days take place until 27 August. Numerous high-profile personalities are present. You can find the full programme here: alpbach.org/programme.