“Europe’s Acid Test” – this is the title of a jubilee symposium held to mark the 80th birthday of Hannes Swoboda, taking place on November 20 at the Architekturzentrum Wien (Architecture Centre Vienna). The former Member of the European Parliament will join friends and long-time associates to discuss the future prospects of a continent caught between East and West, and currently facing internal strains. Please register at: https://tinyurl.com/2dkhjk2f
Time: Friday, November 20, starting at 5:00 PM (no fixed end time)
Location: Architekturzentrum Wien, Museumsplatz 1 (within the MuseumsQuartier), 1070 Vienna
The symposium is coordinated by the International Institute for Peace (IIP), of which Hannes Swoboda serves as president. He also maintains long-standing, close ties with the co-organizing institutions: the Architekturzentrum Wien, Denk.Raum.Fresach, the University of Applied Sciences Campus Wien, the Karl-Renner-Institut, the Sir Peter Ustinov Institute, and the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw).
For decades, Hannes Swoboda has observed and helped shape European politics from various vantage points. Europe’s role in an increasingly multipolar world—as well as issues concerning social development, culture, architecture, and urban coexistence—remain central to his interests today. His 80th birthday serves as the occasion for a debate that extends well beyond a mere personal tribute.
Europe’s “acid test” within a global environment—one undergoing fundamental political, economic, and societal shifts—is playing out on two levels: externally, through geopolitical and geoeconomic power realignments; and internally, as societies grapple with polarization and technological upheaval. The two planned panels featuring Hannes Swoboda explore the question: what kind of Europe do we want?
The panel “Can Europe Play a Role in Global Politics?” will include Stephanie Fenkart, Director of the International Institute for Peace (IIP); Mario Holzner, Director of the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw); Markus Reisner, Colonel and Head of the Institute for Basic Officer Training at the Theresian Military Academy; and Astrid Seville, Professor of Political Science at Leuphana University Lüneburg.
The panel “What Holds Europe Together Internally?” will feature Wilhelm Behensky of the University of Applied Sciences Campus Wien; Angelika Fitz, Director of the Architekturzentrum Wien (Architecture Centre Vienna); Sascha Obrecht, Director of the Karl Renner Institute; Margarethe Prinz-Büchl of the European Tolerance Centre Fresach; and Ruth Wodak, a linguist, sociolinguist, and discourse analyst—also moderated by Elke Schraik.
