EFA & the goals
European cooperation
What is the most important thing that the EFA has achieved in its 80-year history?
The European Forum Alpbach was founded at a time when Europe was in ruins - as a courageous, visionary place for building bridges. Thousands of young people were brought together, thought boundaries were overcome and the focus was consistently on dialog instead of division. The fact that thousands of young people have been there as scholarship holders over these eight decades is particularly formative - they have experienced new perspectives here, forged international friendships and gained a deeper understanding of the European idea. This founding mission - understanding when others fall silent - is more relevant today than ever.
What is your vision for the future of the EFA?
I would like to see a forum that acts even more strongly as a European driving force: open, independent, relevant - a place where ideas become concrete action and European cooperation is lived as a matter of course.
What do you wish for the European Forum Alpbach - in one sentence?
That it remains a space where listening, reflection and courageous joint action count for more than buzzwords and headlines.
Impulses from Alpbach
Bürgermeisteriniatitive zum Thema Flüchtlinge und Asyl, German
Freistaat Artopia - “Freistaat ARTOPIA” was launched in 1979 - a legendary artistic intervention by André Heller, Gustav Peichl and Horst G. Haberl. At that time, a section of Alpbach was symbolically declared an autonomous space - equipped with its own borders, a provisional parliament and a variety of actions. As a temporary zone for creative expression and controversial debate, ARTOPIA invites visitors to look at current social challenges in a different light - beyond institutional formats, approachable, accessible and open to all. It is precisely for this reason that this project is of enormous importance to EFA, as it offers a space in which art is perceived as a critical counterpart to politics.
Legacy and mission
Dipl. Ing. Dr. Franz Fischler
(2012-2020 President of the EFA, former Federal Minister of Agriculture and Forestry AUT and EU Commissioner for Agriculture)
We are living in exciting and challenging times. We are searching for new answers to the growing problems, but also for new opportunities for the next generation. Participating in this search with creative ideas and an intensive dialog between the generations was the idea behind the EFA from the very beginning.
Its special assets are :
1. the young people; students from all over the world who are interested in exchanging ideas with other young people and want to help shape the future.
2. the setting; it creates a positive atmosphere to meet in the most beautiful village in Europe, in Austria's most modern congress center, to hike through the unique mountain panorama and to end the day with friends in one of the inns in the evening.
3. meeting distinguished professors, intellectuals, national and international politicians, business leaders and communicators - and all this in an uncomplicated way and at eye level.
Personal perspectives & programme Recharge Europe 2025
Europe needs an energy boost because global competition for influence, resources and innovation is becoming ever more intense. Europe's response to this must go far beyond defending past achievements: Europe must be energized to drive forward an ambitious vision for the future.
Together at EFA25, we are re-energizing Europe: for a Europe that stays true to its founding principles, embraces change and builds a better future for all. Proud of what has been. Ready for what is to come.
Wordrap - Katharina Hausberger, Managing Director Hotel zur Post Alpbach
In connection with the EFA, is there an experience, a project, a story, ... that has had a personal impact on you?
About 20 years ago, my siblings and I had breakfast together with Herwig van Staa (in my grandmother's bed and breakfast). At the time, we didn't know who was sitting at the table with us, but looking back, it was a great experience. I grew up with the EFA, so to speak, it shaped me from an early age - as a place where people from all over the world listen to and learn from each other.
What word comes to mind spontaneously when you think of the European Forum Alpbach?
“CONNECTIONS” - people and ideas connect. It creates an opportunity for encounters that would otherwise rarely be possible - both on a professional and personal level.
What is/was your special “Alpbach moment” at the EFA?
The highlight and therefore a special moment for me is always the Tirol Day.
Everyone comes in their “own” traditional costume or dirndl, many clubs are involved, many photographers and journalists are on site and then the relaxed exchange and get-together in the CCA. Here, the contrast but also the interplay between rural tradition and modern ideas and conversations is emphasized once again.
EFA 2025 - The Programme
