Time to Decide Europe Summit 2023: Experts Debate the Future of Europe and the Challenges of Today
The 'Time To Decide Europe Summit 2023' in Vienna brought together experts to debate the future of Europe in times of current crises. Vindobona.org reviews the event, which featured high-level keynote speeches and engaging discussions on geopolitics, democracy, economics, energy, and the environment.
Speakers at the Time to Decide Europe Summit 2023 engaged in insightful discussions about the future of Europe. / Picture: © ERSTE Stiftung/APA-Fotoservice/Hetfleisch
As Vindobona.org reported, the "Time To Decide Europe Summit", organized by ERSTE Foundation in cooperation with the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM), took place in Vienna for the second time. At this event, 15 experts debated possible solutions for the future of Europe in the face of the current crises. More than 300 guests followed the discussion rounds at the Erste Campus, while over 400 viewers watched the live stream. The recording of the event is now available.
In the opening speeches, Alexander Schallenberg, Austrian Federal Minister for European and International Affairs, and Frans Timmermans, Vice-President of the European Commission, who joined the event via video conference from Brussels, stressed the importance of the escalation of the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine last year. That situation, he said, had brought the countries of the European Union closer together. In particular, Timmermans stressed the importance of the transatlantic alliance and the determination of those countries whose democratic values were affected by this attack. He stressed the need to think the unthinkable to then respond quickly and decisively. Foreign Minister Schallenberg also pointed to the opportunity opened up by EU enlargement in the Western Balkans to build on past successes of a larger and stronger EU.
In the following discussion rounds, geopolitics and European politics, current challenges for European democracy as well as economy, energy, and environment were debated. Keynote speeches were given by renowned experts such as Janka Oertel (European Council on Foreign Relations), Soli Özel (Kadir Has University Istanbul), Jan-Werner Müller (Princeton University), Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nalłęcz (Strategy 2050 Institute), Kirsten Dunlop (EIT Climate-KIC) and Guntram Wolff (German Council on Foreign Relations).
The discussion format of the summit allowed all panelists to participate in all topics. In addition to the keynote speakers, Anthony Barnett (openDemocracy), Milica Delevic (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development), Taras Fedirko (University of Glasgow), Gerald Knaus (European Stability Initiative), Ivan Krastev (IWM), Kim Lane Scheppele (Princeton University), and Mary Burce Warlick (International Energy Agency) all contributed to the discussion. The recording of the entire event and the program are available on the website www.erstestiftung.org/de/aktivitaeten/demokratie/time-to-decide/.